Introduction to attractions in Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi

Introduction to attractions in Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi

Pingyao Ancient City, located in Shanxi, is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 2,700 years. It is one of the four most complete ancient cities and is currently the only ancient county in my country that has successfully applied for a world cultural heritage with an entire ancient city. The following is an introduction to the scenic spots in Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi that I collected and compiled. I hope it will be helpful to you!

Introduction to the scenic spots in the ancient city of Pingyao, Shanxi

Pingyao was formerly known as "Ancient Pottery". In the early Ming Dynasty, in order to defend against foreign invasion from the south, the city wall was built. In the third year of Hongwu (AD 1370) Year), the old wall was rebuilt, expanded and completely covered with bricks. Later, Jingde, Zhengde, Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli dynasties carried out ten repairs and repairs, updated the towers and added enemy towers. In the 43rd year of Kangxi (AD 1703), because the emperor passed through Pingyao on his western tour, he built four large towers, making the city even more spectacular. The Pingyao City Wall has a total circumference of 6,163 meters and a wall height of about 12 meters. It divides Pingyao County, which covers an area of ??about 2.25 square kilometers, into two worlds with completely different styles. Within the city wall, the streets, pavements, and market buildings retain the Ming and Qing style; outside the city wall, it is called the New City. This is a wonderful place where ancient and modern buildings are integrated and complement each other, making people daydream about it.

The ancient city of Pingyao was built during the period of King Xuan of Zhou from 827 BC to 782 BC. It was built for Yin Jifu, the general of the Western Zhou Dynasty, to garrison here. Since the Qin Dynasty government implemented the "prefecture and county system" in 221 BC, Pingyao City has been the seat of the county government and continues to this day. The ancient city of Pingyao has gone through many vicissitudes and changes, and has become the most complete prototype of an ancient Chinese county town during the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. The ancient city we see now is what it looked like after expansion in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370). The expanded Pingyao City is grand and majestic, with a city circumference of 6.4 kilometers. It is the oldest and largest existing county wall in Shanxi and China.

A bird's-eye view of the ancient city of Pingyao is even more amazing. This city wall is flat and square, shaped like a turtle, and has six gates, one in the north and south, and two in the east and west. The south gate of the city is 0, and the two wells outside the gate symbolize the eyes of the turtle. The north gate is the turtle's tail, which is the lowest point in the city. All the accumulated water in the city flows out through this. There are four barbicans on the east and west sides of the city, facing each other. The gates of the upper west gate, lower west gate, and upper east gate all open to the south, shaped like turtle claws extending forward. Only the outer gate of the lower east gate of the barbican opens straight to the east. It is said that it was built when the city was built. In case the turtle crawled away, he straightened his left leg and tied it to a foothills platform twenty miles away from the city. This seemingly false legend reflects the ancient people's extreme admiration for turtles. The turtle is an immortal creature, and in the minds of the ancients, it is as holy as a god. It embodies the profound meaning of hoping to use the power of the Turtle God to make the ancient city of Pingyao as solid as a rock, forever solid, safe and sound, and to last forever. There are also 72 watchtowers on the city wall, and there are 3,000 crenellations on the outside of the top of the wall. Legend has it that they are a symbol of Confucius's 3,000 disciples and 72 sages.

So far, the ancient city’s walls, streets, residences, shops, temples and other buildings are still basically intact, and their original forms and patterns have remained largely unchanged. They are all organic components of the existing historical relics of Pingyao Ancient City.

This solid and complete masonry city has played a great role in military defense and flood prevention for hundreds of years. The streets, ancient government offices, market buildings, shops, and residential buildings in the city still retain their original Ming Dynasty style. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

The ancient city of Pingyao is known as "a collection and treasure house of ancient Chinese buildings". The number of cultural relics and historic sites preserved and the high quality are rare in China. Among them, one was built in the Western Zhou Dynasty and expanded in the 3rd year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370). It is the most complete and well-preserved city wall in the country. The third most precious existing wooden structure is the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall of Zhenguo Temple.

The Five Dynasties colored sculptures in the hall are treasures and serve as samples for studying early Chinese painted sculptures; Shuanglin Temple was built in the second year of Wuping in the Northern Qi Dynasty (571) and is known as the "Treasure House of Ancient Chinese Colored Sculpture Art", with 2,052 painted sculptures from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties existing; There is the Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple, a rare artifact of the Confucian Temple during the Song and Jin Dynasties in China; there is the "Rishengchang" banknote bank, the originator of China's finance, known as "the number one in the world" and "connecting the world"; In the second year of Xianqing of the Tang Dynasty, the unique structure of "suspended beams and hanging columns" that is rare in domestic ancient buildings was Qingxuguan. There are more than 20 wooden statues in the temple, which are rare objects used to study the art of ancient Chinese wood carvings and the development of Taoism; there are 1,000 inscriptions all over the ancient city and various glass objects of different ages, forms and colors. At the same time, Pingyao Ancient City is one of the centers of ancient Chinese residential architecture. Among the 4,000 ancient and modern residential buildings existing in the ancient city, more than 400 of them typically embody the style and characteristics of ancient and modern northern Chinese residential buildings.

The ancient city of Pingyao has a long history and numerous cultural relics and historic sites. It completely reflects the historical appearance from the 17th to the 19th century and is a historical museum of Ming and Qing architectural art. Its ancient buildings and cultural relics are rare in China in terms of quantity and taste. They are of extremely important historical, artistic and scientific value for studying the changes of ancient Chinese cities, urban architecture, human settlement forms and the development of traditional culture.

In 1997, Tanaka Dan, a special expert assigned by UNESCO, happily wrote the inscription "Pingyao Ancient City is the best in the world" when he inspected the ancient city of Pingyao. UNESCO's evaluation of the Ancient City of Pingyao is: "The Ancient City of Pingyao is an outstanding example of a Chinese Han city in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Ancient City of Pingyao has preserved all its characteristics and has shown people an extraordinary picture in the development of Chinese history. A complete picture of ordinary cultural, social, economic and religious development."

People who have been to Pingyao said: "Walking into Pingyao is like walking into a large historical museum."

Pingyao is said to have three treasures, and the ancient city wall is one of them. one. At the beginning of the city's construction, the city wall was only built of rammed earth and was small in scale. It was not expanded to its current size until the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370). Although it has gone through more than 600 years of vicissitudes, its glory still remains. This ancient city wall with a circumference of about 6 kilometers has 3,000 crenellations and 72 watchtowers, which are said to symbolize Confucius's 3,000 disciples and 72 sages. In addition, in the late Qing Dynasty, Kuixing Pavilion, which symbolized the prosperity of the ancient city's cultural fortune, was built in the southeast corner of the ancient city. This shows the profound influence of Confucianism represented by Confucius.

Pingyao Ancient City is a county town built entirely in accordance with the traditional urban planning ideas and layout procedures of the Chinese Han nation. In the closed city, with the market building as the center, there are four main streets, eight small streets and seventy-two alleys intertwined with each other. Their functions are clear and the layout is orderly. The ancient residential houses in the city are all courtyards with green bricks and gray tiles, with clear axes and symmetry. Especially the brick cave-style houses have a strong local flavor. There are 3,797 courtyard houses in the city, of which more than 400 are quite well preserved. In addition, there are some large and small temples built in the city, and old-fashioned shops are also lined up in rows. These antique buildings authentically outline the bustling cityscape of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Out of the north gate of the ancient city to the northeast is Zhenguo Temple, which is the second treasure of the ancient city. The Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall of the temple was built during the Five Dynasties (10th century AD) and is currently the third oldest wooden structure in China, with a history of more than a thousand years. The colorful sculptures of the Five Dynasties in the hall are rare sculpture art treasures.

The third treasure of the ancient city is the Shuanglin Temple located in the southwest of the city and rebuilt in the second year of Wuping in the Northern Qi Dynasty (571 AD). In more than 10 halls of the temple, there are more than 2,000 colored clay sculptures from the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, which are known as the "treasure house of colored sculpture art". In fact, there are countless treasures in the ancient city.

When talking about Pingyao, we have to talk about "Jin merchants" and "ticket accounts", because this is one of the birthplaces of "Jin merchants" and also the prototype of China's first modern bank, "Rishengchang". "The birthplace of ticket numbers.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the development of commercial economy, some large Shanxi merchants gradually formed a business system in which they set up head offices in Shanxi and branch offices in other places to operate across regions.

Under such circumstances, large-scale wholesale, transportation and sales brought huge amounts of cash transportation business, so a new payment method - "ticket number exchange" came into being. In the fourth year of Daoguang's reign (AD 1824), China's first "Rishengchang" bank account was established based on the "Xi Yucheng" paint shop on Pingyao West Street, which specialized in currency exchange and concurrently engaged in bank deposit business. Three years later, branches were established in Shandong, Henan, Liaoning, Jiangsu and other provinces. In the 1840s, its business further expanded to Japan, Singapore, Russia and other countries. At that time, driven by the "Rishengchang" bank account, Pingyao's bank account industry developed rapidly. At its peak, there were as many as 22 bank accounts here, and it once became the center of China's financial industry. It can be seen that Pingyao occupies a very important position in China's modern financial history.

Ancient Pingyao was glorious, and today’s Pingyao is still full of charm. At a time when many ancient cultural cities are being dismembered and destroyed to promote commerce, Pingyao has been so well preserved. The ancient city of Pingyao has preserved all its characteristics and presented an extraordinary complete picture of cultural, social, economic and religious development in the development of Chinese history.

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Introduction to the scenic spots worth visiting in Pingyao Ancient City

Introduction to scenic spots worth visiting in Pingyao Ancient City

Tourist Attractions in Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi There are many attractions included. The one-ticket system is implemented in the ancient city. The ticket price is 150 yuan and includes 20 attractions. If you are pressed for time, how can you selectively visit these attractions? The following is an introduction to the attractions worth visiting in Pingyao Ancient City that I have compiled. , welcome to read.

An introduction to the attractions worth visiting in Pingyao Ancient City

NO.1 Pingyao Ancient City Wall

Pingyao Ancient City Wall is undoubtedly the most important part of Pingyao Ancient City Tourism in Shanxi Attractions, Pingyao Ancient City Wall is one of the most complete ancient city walls remaining in the world. The structure of the entire city wall resembles a "turtle",

NO.2 Rishengchang Ticket Number

The Rishengchang Bank has spent its most prosperous 100 years in the harsh environment of the time, amidst foreign and domestic troubles. Today, the Rishengchang Bank has become world-famous and has been renamed the "China Bank Museum". It completely shows the original appearance at that time, witnesses the development process of China's banking industry, and is a historical milestone of China's banking industry.

NO.3 Pingyao Ancient County Government

Pingyao’s County Government is one of the few best-preserved county offices in the world today. There are bell towers, earth temples, and grain temples in the courtyard. The most distinctive feature of the jail, women's prison, heavy prison, etc. is that every day there is a performance of the county magistrate who repeatedly travels to the court to interrogate cases, which is very worth watching.

NO.4 Pingyao City Tower

Pingyao City Tower is the tallest building and the most central building in the ancient city of Pingyao. When Cixi fled south, she passed by this place and lived there. Here, you can stand on the tall market building and have a panoramic view of the ancient city of Pingyao. From time to time, there will be blind date shows where hydrangeas are thrown on the market building. Tourists can participate in it. Male compatriots, you are lucky, you can carry a daughter-in-law back home. Home Bar

NO.5 Shuanglin Temple

When traveling in the ancient city of Pingyao, people generally talk about "one city, two temples". One of the so-called two temples is "Shuanglin Temple" Shuanglin Temple is most famous for its exquisite Buddhist colored sculptures, which have preserved more than 2,000 sculptures from 11 dynasties including the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The "Thousand-Hand Avalokitesvara" program originated from the Thousand-Hand Avalokitesvara statue in Shuanglin Temple. It is worth A tour.

What specialties are worth buying in the ancient city?

Push-gloss lacquer ware

Push-gloss lacquer ware is named after the luster produced by the palm of your hand. The making process is complicated, including wooden body, There are five processes including plastering, painting, painting and inlaying. After using pine wood to make the wooden base of various furniture, wrap the wooden base with white linen, apply a layer of brick mortar mixed with pig blood, and then paint it. Then use sandpaper dipped in water to wipe it, and then push it with your hands repeatedly. Simple and elegant appearance, durable. Generally, the black ones are wooden tires, and the red and brown ones are lacquer tires.

Recommended places to buy: the former site of Yonglong Lacquerware, Shilounan Road, Nanjie Street, Pingyao Lacquerware Art Expo Store.

Beef

Pingyao beef inherits Xing Sheng Lei and develops its own traditional flavor. Its production process is unique, its color is rosy, its fragrance is delicious, and it has the characteristics of "fat but not greasy, thin but not woody".

Recommended place to buy: Guanyun brand beef sold at the store opposite the former site of Yonglong Lacquerware on Shilounan Road, Nanjie Street. The number 708 is printed on the chair. The price changes with time, usually 25 yuan. /catties or more.

Bingan

The deep ditch in the ancient city of Pingyao - Guozigou. A variety of wild fruits grow in the ditch, among which betel fruit has the longest history and the best quality. Pingyao betel dried bean curd processed with traditional techniques has a unique taste, has the effects of nourishing the skin, nourishing the lungs, digesting food and relieving fatigue, and is especially suitable for women, children and the elderly. Historically, it has been exported to Eastern Europe and Russia and has been very popular.

Changyam powder

The Changyam produced in Yuebei Village, Pingyao County, has thick and long strips, thin skin and fine texture. It is very famous in Jinzhong. "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" says: "Dioscorea has a sweet and warm taste. It mainly treats injuries in the middle, tonifies deficiency and eliminates cold and heat evil spirits, tonifies the middle, replenishes qi and strength, and grows muscles." It is an indispensable tonic medicine for fitness, spleen and stomach in the motherland’s medical treasure house.

Recommended place to buy: Weizhuang brand long yam powder sold at the store opposite the former site of Yonglong Lacquerware on Shilounan Road, Nanda Street. The number 708 is printed on the chair.

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What are the most worth visiting attractions in Pingyao Ancient City?

1. Pingyao Ancient City Wall - Yingxun Gate or Gongji Gate. The ancient city of Pingyao is "turtle-shaped" from a bird's-eye view, and the entire ancient city has six gates, one each in the north and south, and two in the east and west. The Yingxun Gate (commonly known as the south gate) is the turtle head of the ancient city of Pingyao and is the focus of the entire city. , standing on the observation tower of Yingxun Gate, you can have a panoramic view of the ancient city.

2. Pingyao Ancient City - Ancient County Government. Pingyao Gucheng County Government Office is one of the very few ancient county offices in the country that has been well preserved. There are court hearing performances every day. Visitors can participate in them. The performances are relevant and very interactive. The content of the daily trial cases is different and quite interesting. It feels like time travel!

3. Pingyao Ancient City—Rishengchang Bank. Founded in the Qing Dynasty, it is my country's first and largest currency exchange business. Shanxi has been famous both at home and abroad for Shanxi merchants since ancient times. When visiting Pingyao, Rishengchang Bank is a must-see because it is the originator of China's banking industry.

4. Pingyao property market. The Market Building is not included in the pass, and you need to purchase a separate ticket, but it is a must to climb the Market Building and see Pingyao. The Market Building is the building in the ancient center of Pingyao and is also the tallest building. From here you can see the entire Ming and Qing Street, and even Pingyao. Panoramic view of the city, located in the middle of the Ming and Qing ancient streets!

Ticket issues:

Pingyao Ancient City implements a one-ticket system, commonly known as "pass". Tickets are not required to enter the ancient city. The so-called tickets are for many attractions and scenic spots in the ancient city. Tickets, as well as tickets for the ancient city wall, the pass *** includes 19 attractions and is valid for 3 days.

What are the attractions in Pingyao Ancient City?

Pingyao Ancient City Attractions:

1. Pingyao Ancient City Wall

Pingyao Ancient City Wall was first built in the Western Zhou Dynasty During the Xuan Dynasty, after various dynasties repairs and reinforcements, the majestic city of 6.4 kilometers was formed. The ancient city wall of Pingyao is the most important attraction in the ancient city of Pingyao that was included in the World Cultural Heritage List. The ancient city wall of Pingyao that we see today is still the same after hundreds of years. It is very strong. There have been two floods in the ancient city of Pingyao, but the walls of the ancient city of Pingyao have not collapsed. It is very stable!

2. Pingyao Rishengchang Bank

Pingyao Rishengchang Bank, the originator of the national banking industry, created a bill of exchange system and managed to connect the world! Rishengchang Bank was formerly known as "Xiyucheng" Pigment Store. Rich man Li Daquan and shopkeeper Lei Lutai invested 300,000 taels in the fourth year of Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty. It was China's first private financial institution specializing in deposits, lending and exchange businesses. The organization is famous for its "connecting the world".

3. Pingyao Xieqing Qianzhuang

The establishment of the bank is inseparable from the bank account. The bank is actually the predecessor of the bank bank. The bank is mainly engaged in cash and silver exchange business. an integral part of business.

4. Pingyao County Government

Pingyao County Government is one of the most well-preserved Ming County Government offices in China. It is large in scale and located in the center of the ancient city. It was first built in the Northern Wei Dynasty and finalized in the Yuan Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the earliest preserved building dates from the sixth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1346), which has a history of more than 600 years. The entire government office faces south and faces north, with an axially symmetrical layout. The north-south axis is more than 200 meters long. It is more than 100 meters wide from east to west and covers an area of ??more than 26,000 square meters.

5. Pingyao Confucian Temple

Pingyao Confucian Temple is located in the southeast corner of Pingyao Ancient City. It is the oldest, largest, most majestic and most typical temple in the ancient city. It is the most complete, largest and most distinctive Confucian temple in North China. It faces north and faces south, covering an area of ??40,580 square meters. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Pingyao Ancient City Attractions Introduction

Pingyao Ancient City Attractions Introduction:

1. Rishengchang is located in the south of West Street Road in Pingyao City. The old address of the ticket number is still well preserved. It faces south and faces north, with two courtyards side by side, with a depth of 65 meters from north to south and a construction area of ??1,300 square meters. Enter the courtyard three times. The street frontage is 5 rooms wide, with thick wooden doors, colorful paintings under the eaves, and store name plaques. The first entrance to the courtyard is the counter and accounting room, and there are 2 cabinet rooms on the east and west sides.

Build 3 guest rooms on the east and west sides of the second entrance. The front is the middle hall, which is three rooms wide and is the exchange business room. There is a building above it for storing items. There are three bungalows with half-sloping roofs adjacent to the south eaves of the central hall, which are the residences of the staff. There is a corridor in the middle, small suites on the east and west sides, and warehouses and clerks' quarters upstairs.

There are 5 main halls in the south of the backyard and 3 guest rooms in the east and west, which are the residences of VIPs and senior staff. There is a corridor on the west side that can lead to carriages, with stables and stables and stables. The entire courtyard has high walls and deep buildings, with a compact layout and exquisite design. There is a wire sky net erected above, and a bell is tied to the net. The shop facing the street has 5 solid doors that can be closed once, making it extremely safe.

2. Qingxu Temple is the largest Taoist temple in the ancient city of Pingyao. According to the traditional layout of Daodong and Foxi, it is located in the north of the east section of Dongda Street. Qingxu Guan was built in the second year of Xianqing of the Tang Dynasty (657). It was originally named Taiping Guan and was changed to Qingxu Guan in the first year of Song Zhiping (1064).

In the early Yuan Dynasty, it was renamed Taiping Xingguo Guan, and later it was renamed "Taiping Chongsheng Palace". In the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Qingxu Guan. The vicissitudes of history, changes in the human world, and the passage of time have left few Taoist idols here. In 1998, Qingxu Temple was opened as Pingyao County Comprehensive Museum.

3. Pingyao City Wall, located in Pingyao County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, was built in the period of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (827 BC to 782 BC). It is a rammed earth city wall. It was rebuilt in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370).

The Pingyao City Wall is about 12 meters high and 5 meters wide on average. There are Wenchang Pavilion and Kuixing Tower in the southeast corner, and there is a general platform on the top of the east city wall. There are 72 battlements and 3,000 crenellations on the city wall, housing 3,000 disciples of Confucius and 72 sages. Contains rich Confucian cultural connotations. The ancient city wall combines defensive and cultural functions, embodies the typical characteristics of northern China's cities during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, carries rich historical civilization, and is an important carrier of the ancient city of Pingyao.

4. Zhenguo Temple is located in Haodong Village, 15 kilometers northeast of Pingyao County, Shanxi Province. It was built in the seventh year of Tianhui in the Northern Han Dynasty (963) in the Five Dynasties. It was originally named "Jingcheng Temple", but was renamed "Zhenguo Temple" during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and is still in use today. The temple has been renovated and rebuilt many times in the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The existing temple has two courtyards, facing south.

5. Shuanglin Temple, formerly known as Zhongdusi, is located in Qiaotou Village, six kilometers southwest of Pingyao County, Shanxi Province. It was originally located on the site of the old city of Zhongdu, hence its name. Shuanglin Temple covers an area of ??about 15,000 square meters and is divided into two parts: east and west. The oldest existing stele in Shuanglin Temple is the "Aunt's Stele" in the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1011) in the Northern Song Dynasty.

It is old and the handwriting is blurred. The twentieth line "the temple was rebuilt in the second year of Wuping" is still legible. "The Second Year of Wuping" (571) is the reign name of the Northern Qi Dynasty. Since it was rebuilt, its founding date must be earlier than this. Even counting from the Northern Qi Dynasty, Zhongdu Temple has gone through more than 1,400 years.