Discover Pingyao
Pingyao is a typical northern city in China with a history of over 2700 years, sharing the title “Four Best Preserved Ancient Chinese Cities” together with Langzhong in Sichuan Province, Lijiang in Yunnan City and Shexian of Anhui Province. Started to be built in Western Zhou Dynasty (827BC-782BC) and extended in 1370 AD, Ming Dynasty, the basic layout and architectural landscape featured in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are well preserved today and listed as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1997.
Pingyao had ever governed China’s finance in Ming and Qing Dynasties with over 20 exchange shops (which functioned partly as a bank in ancient times) headquartered here, about half of the whole country, gaining the title of “Ancient Chinese Wall Street”. Today, with our Pingyao tours, you can still find the basic look of its ever prosperity from the relics of the Ancient City Wall, Ming-Qing Street Wang, Family Courtyard…
Top Attractions in Pingyao
Pingyao Ancient City Walls
China's best-preserved walled city (1370 AD, UNESCO) — 6km of Ming Dynasty ramparts with 72 watchtowers, walkable in full.
Rishengchang Exchange House
China's first bank (1823) — the financial heart of the Qing Empire, pioneer of the remittance draft system.
Ming-Qing Street (Nan Dajie)
The ancient city's main thoroughfare — 200+ Ming-Qing shopfronts selling lacquerware, paper cuts, and Shanxi vinegar.
Wang Family Compound (Wang Jia Dayuan)
A sprawling 250,000m² courtyard mansion with 123 courtyards and 1,118 rooms — "the Forbidden City of folk residences".
Shuanglin Temple
A 1,500-year-old temple with over 2,000 painted clay sculptures — considered a masterpiece of Yuan-Ming Buddhist art.
Zhangbi Ancient Castle
A 1,400-year-old Taoist military fortress with a 10km network of underground tunnels spanning three levels.
Planning Your Pingyao Visit
A Pingyao day tour to look around the ancient town with the City Wall is doable if you only have one day. Usually, most travelers tend to stay overnight here with accommodation in ancient-style hotels inside the town to discover fulfilling experiences about history here.
With high-speed trains of Pingyao opened in late 2019, Pingyao is well connected with other popular destinations like Beijing, Xian, Datong, and Taiyuan to enrich people’s China travel experience.
Whether you want to explore China’s first bank and Shanxi merchants culture in Pingyao Ancient City, the century-old castles and grand mansions of the Ming and Qing Dynasty nearby Pingyao, or an exhilarating blend of both, a private Pingyao tour package with our superb local guide leaves you with the memories of a lifetime. The high-speed train makes traveling to Pingyao from Beijing or Xian incredibly simple as well.
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