Pingyao Travel Guide

The town of Pingyao, Shanxi Province, made famous by the Ming (CE 1368-1644) and Qing (CE 1644-1911) Dynasty houses of trade and finance that it spawned, is located about 80 kilometers south-southwest of the capital, Taiyuan. Shanxi Province itself belongs to the original "cradle of Chinese civilization", which can roughly be described as Henan Province and its contiguous provinces.

Being situated on the trade route between the ancient capital of Xi'an and the later capital of Beijing, Pingyao profited from its unique position to become a creator and eventually a facilitator, via its financial institutions, of trade. Pingyao's first foray into the mercantile sphere was in the salt trade that began already during the Spring and Autumn (BCE 770-476) Period of the Eastern Zhou (BCE 770-221) Dynasty. Shanxi Province is home to a large salt lake, Lake Yuncheng. The harvesting of salt from the ocean came first later; in those early years, salt was recovered mainly from large inland salt lakes such as Yuncheng and the salt lakes of what is present-day Qinghai Province.

Pingyao's claim to fame as a mercantile and financial center stems from the mid-Ming to later Qing era, when the region bounded by Pingyao to the south and Taiyuan to the north produced several trade "houses" operated by families that ran their respective business for generations, families such as Cao, Chang, Qiao, Qu and Wang. The phenomenon of finance – the issuing of official IOUs (what one today would call checks) and the traffic in remittances – came about as a corollary to everyday trade transactions, when it eventually became cumbersome to have to make payments in the form of cash (and note that salt was an early form of "cash", also in China). Thus banking as we know it today was born in the Pingyao-Taiyuan region of Shanxi Province. During the 19th century, the Pingyao-Taiyuan region also served as the undisputed center of finance for the Qing government.

Must-Visit Pingyao Attractions

Pingyao City Wall

Among the ancient preserved city walls in China, Pingyao is one of the most well-preserved and attractive. It stands as it did during its Ming rebuilding and redesign, providing a square wall of protection to the city’s north, east and west, and a wall on the south that curves naturally along with the river. It also surrounds an old town as gorgeous and well preserved as one would imagine from ancient Chinese artwork or historical movies.

The six gates of Pingyao’s City Wall also give the town its traditional nickname – Turtle City – the layout of the gates, two on east and west and one on north and south along with its fountains give the appearance of a turtle from above. A stroll across the wall, about 30 meters above the roads, would be a reasonable walk, and not much over six kilometers.

The view of traditional Chinese rooftops, roads and courtyards is a peaceful part of the walk, and a chance to appreciate the artistic layout of Pingyao from the air. The thousands of battlements and seventy-two watchtowers throughout the wall project majesty and strength, although their defense is little needed for this city preserved in time.

Qiao Family Compound

While Pingyao streets beautifully preserve many centuries of arts and customs, the surrounding countryside preserves a number of traditional dwellings, such as the large family compounds built by successful traders during the Qing Dynasty.

These include the Qu, Wang and most famously Qiao family houses, large complexes of traditional folk houses with courtyards and full of exquisite art. The Qiao Family Compound, about 30 kilometers outside of Pingyao, was first built during 18th century, often considered the peak of the Qing Dynasty, and has been expanded on and restored several times. It has lasted through the heights of Qing success, the long and chaotic decline phase of the dynasty, the Republic of China, Mao’s communist regime and the modern, wealthier and more stable PRC.

Today a folk museum has been established in the housing complex, where along with the gorgeous and serene buildings and courtyards, visitors can explore thousands of arts, crafts, furnishings and ritual items.

One of the features that has allowed the Qiao family compound to last and be preserved so well is that like similar compounds in the region, it is surrounded by a large parapet wall, offering defense from dangers in the street as well as some added quietly for the family.

Parapets and crenels make these housing compounds look somewhat like fortresses from the outside, and along with watchtowers provided a good place of defense for family guards. Inside, the compound holds 300 rooms and over twenty courtyards, flowing together and interlaced in a sublime way typical of Chinese design. The whole layout from above, in fact, is said to resemble the Chinese character “xi” for luck or happiness.

This Shanxi trading family also sought out the best in skilled artwork, having their homes both covered and filled with traditional murals, carvings, calligraphy and gardens. This sheer quality and variety of artistic and historical items in the Qiao Family Compound provide it a reputation among the finest buildings in China outside of imperial residences.