Pingyao, in the centre of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage site. It's 90 kilometres south of Taiyuan on the Fen River.
People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age. Its long period as the seat of a county government has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine ofthemare under government protection, including Zhengguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Ancient City of Pingyao.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organised commercial(商业的) groups that did business nationwide. Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their centre. In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang (Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank cheques rather than in silver or gold coins. It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking. Branches(分行) were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao. Its lacquerware(漆器) became well known.
In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition. Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi's history and culture, but they are also valuable to the study of its history, customs, ancient buildings and art. Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people.
In 1997, Pingyao Ancient City was listed in the World Heritage List as a "World Cultural Heritage Site".
