location: Pingyao ancient city is located in the middle of Shanxi province, 1 kilometers away from Taiyuan, the provincial capital

Pingyao ancient city was announced as the second batch of national historical and cultural cities in the State Council in 1986. At present, there are 3 national key cultural relics protection units, 6 provincial key cultural relics protection units and 9 county-level cultural relics protection units in the county. Its numerous cultural relics, high value and rich content are rare among county-level cities in China. Among the precious cultural relics of this ancient city, there is the ten thousand buddhas hall of Zhenguo Temple, which was built in the seventh year of Tianhui in the Northern Han Dynasty (963). There is Shuanglin Temple, which was built in the second year of Wuping in Northern Qi Dynasty (571). There is Qingxu Guan, which was founded in the second year of Tang Xianqing (657); There is Dacheng Hall, a Confucian temple built in the seventh year of the Northern Han Dynasty (963); There is also the Huiji Bridge, which was built in the 1th year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (1671).

Pingyao is called the ancient pottery land, which is the fief of Emperor Yao. Pingyao ancient city was originally a rammed earth city wall, which was built in the period of West Zhou Xuanwang (827-782 BC). In the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (137), it was also expanded into today's masonry city wall on the basis of the original western Zhou Dynasty old city ridge to meet the needs of military defense.

Pingyao ancient city is the most complete surviving Ming and Qing city within the territory of the People's Republic of China. It is a typical representative of the ancient county town in the Central Plains of China Han nationality. Due to the establishment of the county seat, in the third year of Qing Daoguang (1823), the country's first draft bank "Rishengchang" was born in Pingyao ancient city. The establishment of "Rishengchang" is of epoch-making significance in China's ancient and modern financial history. It marks the emergence of a new type of financial industry in China in the late feudal society of China.

So far, the walls, streets, houses, shops, temples and other buildings in this city are still basically intact, and the original architectural pattern and features have remained largely unchanged. Most of the treasures in the ancient buildings in the city and its suburbs are well preserved. They belong to the organic part of the existing historical relics of Pingyao ancient city, and they are both living specimens for studying the historical development of China in politics, economy, culture, military affairs, architecture and art.

Pingyao county wall. Built in the third year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (137), with a circumference of 6.4 kilometers, it is the oldest and largest city wall in Shanxi. Both the Ming and Qing dynasties had repairs, but they were basically the shape and structure of the early Ming dynasty. The city is square, the wall is about 12 meters high, the appearance is all brick, the crib built on the wall, and there is a moat outside the wall, 4 meters deep and 4 meters wide. There are six gates around the city, two in the east and two in the west, and one in the north and south. East and west cheat and build a urn to facilitate defense. The original tower on the city wall was 9 seats west, the original tower was built on the city gate, and there were turrets at the four corners, which were mostly damaged, but the city wall remained the same. The streets, buildings and shops in the city still retain their original shapes. It is the material data for studying the construction of county towns in Ming Dynasty in China. Pingyao County, located in the southwest of Taiyuan City, is one of the only four intact ancient cities in China. The scenic spot is intact, and the buildings in the wall are integrated, which has tourism and appreciation value. The ancient city is bordered by Jiexiu City in the south and Qixian County in the north. It is the only place where the Universiade Highway passes. The transportation is very convenient. There are all kinds of services in the ancient city, all kinds of famous foods and shops are unique, and hotels, restaurants and shopping malls outside the city are all available. Pingyao beef is famous for its purity, truthfulness and delicacy.

On December 3rd, 1997, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee listed Pingyao ancient city in the World Heritage List. The report comments on Pingyao ancient city as follows:

"Pingyao ancient city is an outstanding example of China Han nationality city in Ming and Qing dynasties. Pingyao ancient city has preserved all its characteristics, and has shown people a complete picture of extraordinary cultural, social, economic and religious development in the historical development of China."