Píngyáo (平遥) is a town with a population of about 50 000 in the province of Shānxī (not to be mistaken for neighbouring Shǎnxī or Shaanxi, on the West). Visiting Pingyao is meeting the real late Imperial China.
In a country with many fake historical towns, Pingyao is one of the few old cities that has remained unscathed since the fall of the emperors and was spared by the destruction of the Cultural Revolution. This is why it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
Too often Pingyao is referred to as a “mediaeval” town, but this is quite a mistake.
Pingyao’s urban layout and most of its architecture dates from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, more akin to the European Modern Era than to the Middle Ages, with only a few unique examples of previous eras that would be “mediaeval”, although this is not such a correct term when talking about China.
Pingyao has been a relevant town for over 2000 years. But in the 16th c. and throughout the whole Qing period Pingyao became one of the most important commercial and financial centres in Northern China. Some of the first and most advanced banks in China (called piaohao) were established in Pingyao during that time.
And even if it is becoming increasingly touristic, Pingyao remains authentic. In Pingyao you will witness a traditional lifestyle that has been lost in big cities. People move around in bicycles and some even keep animals in their courtyards!
How to arrive in Pingyao
Pingyao is located 580 km SW of Beijing and 500 km NE of Xi’an (where the Terracotta Army is), on the road linking both cities. It is literally on the way between two world-class destinations
By train: Pingyao has two railway stations. Pingyao train station is served by the conventional network. This is the older station as it is just a 5 minutes walk to the Northern gate of the ancient city.
There are night trains to several destinations, including Beijing (9h), Datong (to visit Yungang Grottoes, 7h) and Xi’an (8h40).
Pingyao Gucheng railway station is served by the Chinese high-speed train network. Its name means “Pingyao Old City”, but this station is actually 7 km SW of the old city. There are several daily G-trains (over 300 km/h) to Beijing and D-trains (over 200 km/h) to Xi’an and Taiyuan (the capital of Shanxi province).
The price of a sleeper in a night train can be even a bit more expensive than a high-speed train ticket (250-300 CNY, around 38-46 USD), but you will save a hotel night and travel time. There are soft and hard sleepers. Hard ones have thinner matresses and less space, and can be 25% cheaper.
Moving around Pingyao
Moving around Pingyao is quite easy. It follows the typical square grid plan of Chinese old cities. This square is roughly divided in 9 sectors along main East-West and North-South axes.
Pingyao old town is approximately 1.5 x 1.5 km so it won’t take you more than 20 min to walk from one side of the wall to the opposite. Street signs were in Chinese only but places of interest are also signalled in English. It is easy to move around with the map you can get at the tourist office.
Visiting Pingyao old town
In Pingyao, you should definitely wander around and linger in its streets, enjoy the atmosphere and scenes long lost in Chinese cities.
The whole ensemble is really beautiful and well-kept, its streets lined with shops, wealthy merchant residences and houses built mostly during the Qing dynasty (17th-19th c.), but there are definitely a few unique buildings that you should visit.
We will tell you about these places in this post. There is a combined ticket to climb the city walls and visit all places of interest (temples and museums).
If you are planning a trip to China, have a look a these posts too:
Pingyao city walls
Old Pingyao is enclosed by a wall built in 1370, the first years of the Ming dynasty. It follows a typical square shape with a perimeter of 6km and a height of around 10 metres. On each of its four corners stands a main tower, and there are another 72 watchtowers along the sides of the walls.
The wall’s gates and watchtowers are very well preserved and among the finest of China. Surrounding the wall there is a 4 m wide and 4 m deep moat.
You can walk on top of a section of the wall, entering near the Western gate, and admire its beautiful watchtowers from close – each of them has a quote from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.
Enjoy the beautiful view of Pingyao’s old buildings from the wall. It really gives you a sense of harmony, of a town carefully planned and kept – no tall modern buildings here. The best time to climb the wall for the view is during sunrise.
Temple of the City God
The Temple of the City God is one of the largest and most important in Pingyao. It was originally built during the Song dynasty (960–1279).
However, after a fire engulfed it in 1859, the temple was rebuilt respecting its original layout but with Qing-style buildings. Fires and reconstructions are very common in China, due to the widespread use of wood in its stately architecture.
The Temple of the City God is actually a complex of three distinct temples: the Temple of the City God proper, Temple of Caishen (the God of Wealth) and Temple of Zaojun (Kitchen God).
One of the most important halls in the Temple is the Hall of the City God, the court of law of the god. On either side, a bell tower and a drum tower. These were official timekeeping towers that any Chinese city should have during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Confucian Temple
The Confucian Temple traces its origins to the 7th c. and is one of the few buildings in Pingyao that predate the Ming dynasty. Its main hall, called the Dàchéng Palace was built in 1163 during the Jurchen Jin dynasty.
Most of its original architecture has been preserved – that’s why the style is different to most historical buildings that you will see in China, which are mainly Ming and Qing.
Pingyao’s is the oldest Confucian temple still surviving in China.
Think that its functions were not only religious – it was also where the famous Chinese Imperial Examinations (kējǔ) took place in Pingyao.
These was the nationwide examination system to select civil servants for the imperial bureaucracy established in the 7th century.
The temple has 87 statues of Confucius and his disciples, which is claimed to be the largest group of statues of any Confucian temple in the world.
Qingxu Guan Temple
Qingxu Guan is a taoist temple founded in the 7th c. under the Tang dynasty. Even if significant parts of it have been reconstructed later, it still preserves beautiful pre-Ming wooden architecture.
Enter Qingxu Guan in good faith, as the guardians of the temple are looking at you and their sword and axe are ready to defend the temple.
The wooden architecture of Qingxu Guan is really unique and ellaborate. Its layout reflects the Confucian philosophy applied to building, its pursuit of harmony between people, heaven and earth.
You will first pass through the Dragon and Tiger Hall, the entrance to the temple, built during the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368).
The next hall is the Chunyang Palace, where Lü Dongbin (or Chunyang) is worshipped. Dongbin, a scholar and poet who is the most famous of the Eight Inmortals revered by Taoists.
Then comes the Sanqing Hall, rebuilt during the Ming period (in 1600).
The temple had a collection of over 100 taoist wooden statues. Even if most of them have disappeared, there are still a few you can admire inside, and they sure won’t leave you indifferent.
Rishengchang Bank Museum
Rishengchang is the oldest documented piaohao (draft bank) in China. Piaohao was a banking model created in the Shanxi province that extended over all Northern China. They were the first financial institutions to issue bank checks in China, which proved very useful to travelling merchants.
These banks were established by merchant families (who usually didn’t give up their trade businesses) and they developed a unique system, which got unintentionally closer to Western banking, and was also distinct to the Southern Chinese banks, more focused in ports exporting to Europe and the Americas.
As most piaohaos, Rishengchang started off as a shop (selling dyes). It was established as a bank in 1823 and opened up to 57 branches all over China.
Now you can visit the bank’s premises, including its offices, but also private rooms and a kitchen. The museum has many objects related to banking in 19th century China, including original bank checks.
Tianjixiang Museum
Tianjixiang was a commodities store established in the 19th c. in the main commercial artery of Pingyao old city, South Street (Nan Dajie). The whole complex is organised in courtyards in a typical layout.
Entrance to Tianjixiang Museum is included in the combined ticket of Pingyao old city. The museum itself doesn’t have much to offer, but it’s worth a look. You can also enjoy a picturesque view of Pingyao’s roofs and city tower from Tianjixiang’s top floor.
City Tower (Gushi Tower)
Gushi Tower (City Tower or Market Tower) signals the entrance to the main commercial street in Pingyao old town: South Street, which runs from the centre of Pingyao to the main axis crossing the city through the South (Xinan Mentou).
The tower is the tallest building in the Pingyao old city with over 40 metres height. When you cross it, you will enter the busiest part ot Pingyao.
Streets and scenes of Pingyao
Really, don’t just visit all the places included in the Pingyao old city combined ticket… and leave the main streets!
Wander about the smaller back streets of Pingyao old city, it’s really part of the experience! People are welcoming, some houses with courtyard have their doors open so you can peek and see how they live. Some even have animals inside their Qing patios!
In Pingyao you will see funny scenes of a lifestyle that is being lost in China. It is so different to any Chinese city, but still not a village! It’s historical and it’s authentic, not just another new development of concrete blocks.
Even if Mao’s Cultural Revolution spared Pingyao’s heritage, there was of course an attempt to change people’s philosophy. A few Cultural Revolution slogans written on the walls are still visible, like the one below opposite to the old city walls!
Around Pingyao
In half a day you can visit two interesting places close to Pingyao, the Wang Family Courtyard Residence and the village of Zhangbicun, which has an underground castle. It’s a great idea to visit these places if you have some spare time after exploring and enjoying Pingyao.
There are many tours available from Pingyao. Check in your hotel or in the tourist office if you don’t have a car.
Wang Family Courtyard
Wang Family Courtyard Residence, or Wang Family Compound (王家大院) is the largest folk family residence in China. It is one of the finest examples of merchant family residences and Qing civil architecture in Shanxi province and all China.
This massive compound is organised in 231 courtyards and over 2000 rooms and covers an area of approximately 80000 m2.
This Wang family arrived in the area from provincial capital Taiyuan in 1312. They thrived selling tofu in the following centuries and by the 18th century they were one of the most prominent families in the province and had amassed much wealth through trade, connections and government positions.
The Wangs started building their family residence in the end of the Ming dynasty (mid-17th c.) but it was during the 18th c. that most of the development was done. The family declined in the 19th century and so did their compound. The Wangs were ousted from their residence during the Second Sino-Japanese War (comtemporary to WWII).
Each new generation and branch of the family built their own dwellings inside the Wang compound. The last residential area was finished in 1811.
However, the Wangs took care of keeping a consistent and magnificient design along the decades.
The structure of the family compound is centred around five alleys, five castles and five ancestral temples.
Seen from the top, the whole fortified compound looks like the family surname 王 (Wang).
Wang Family Courtyard is now a museum and tourist destination. No one lives inside the compound any more.
Wang Family Residence has been restored recently and is a remarkable piece of Chinese late imperial history and a wonderful place for all photography and architecture lovers – in every corner there is a beautiful shot to be taken!
How to arrive in Wang Family Courtyard
Wang Family Courtyard Residence is located 50 km South-East of Pingyao.
There are several buses running from Pingyao to Wang Family Courtyard Residence. It can be more convenient for you to book a tour to Wang Family Courtyard from Pingyao and including Zhangbicun. Just make sure they let you stay around 3 hours here and they let you explore it at will.
Zhangbicun village and Underground Castle
Zhāngbì Underground Castle is a system of over 1.5 km of underground galleries built over 1400 years ago by the short-lived Sui dynasty.
The Sui controlled this area in the time of political fragmentation in China known as Northern and Southern dynasties and built this defensive system to protect themselves against the Tang, who ended up conquering most of China.
If you want to visit Zhangbi Underground Castle, you should enter with a guide so you don’t get lost in its tunnels.
There is no decoration or much to see inside, but it is nevertheless a remarkable construction and the feeling inside is quite impressive – not recommended for claustrophobics.
Probably the most interesting part of coming here is wandering around the village of Zhanbicun.
In China, we usually visit large cities and wonderful massive historical sites, but we don’t often see the real rural China. This is it. A centuries-old village that still follows an old lifestyle, so far from Beijing or Shanghai, and even quite different to Pingyao.
If you were suprised when Chinese people stared at you or took pictures of you in a city, in places like Zhangbicun it will really get to another level!
You can also taste some authentic Shanxi cuisine around here. Here the cuisine is generally simpler than the most famous Southern and Eastern cuisines, but they have are great meat dishes. This region is especially well known for its beef and we also tasted a delicious crispy pigeon!
How to arrive in Zhangbicun
Zhang Bi Cun is 40 km South-East of Pingyao and just 20 km from Wang Family Courtyard residence. This is why it makes sense to visit Zhang Bi Cun and its castle if you go to Wang Family Compound.
There is no public transport tu arrive in Zhangbicun, so the only way to get there is by car, taxi (or taxi, or taking a tour from Pingyao).
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