On December 2,1997,the
Ancient City of Pingyao,as a whole city,the f irst in China,was inscribed on the World Heritage List.The
Ancient City of Pingyao is an outstanding example of a Han Chinese city of the Ming and Qing Dynasties(14th -20th centuries)that has retained all its features to an exceptional degree and in doing so pro-vides a remarkably complete picture of cul-tural,social,economic,and religious de-velopment during one of the most semi nal periods ofChinese history.(Excerpts from a report of the World Heritage Committee of Unesco) Highlights:1.Temple to Town God(Chenghuang Miao),first built in the Northern Song Dy-nasty(960-1127)and later rebuilt in1554and 1859,is a unique conjunctio n of Buddhism,Daoism and ethnicity.2.
Ancient City Wall(Guchengqiang):Originally erected in the Western Zhou Dy-nasty(c.11th century -771B.C.)and reinforced in the 3rd
year of the reig n ofHongwu(1370)of Ming Dynasty and reno-vated several times during late Ming and late Qing dynasties,it is 6,157.7me ters in perimeter and six to ten meters in height.3.Shuanglin Monastery(Shuang lin-si),set up in the 2nd year of Wuping of Northern Qi Dynasty(571),contains 2,052exquisitely painted clay figurines and stat-ues dating from the Song,Yuan,Ming a nd Qing dynasties.4.Zhengguo Temple(Zheng guosi),initially raised in the 7th year of Ti anhui of Northern Han Dynasty(963),is one of the oldest wooden architecture extant i n China.5.Ancient Residential Houses(Guminju),numbering 3,797courtyards,some 400well preserved,more or less re-tain Ming and Qing architectural sty les.6.Northern Avenue(Nan dajie),named as China' s Wall Street,is the hub of the city and was the birthplace of S hanxi Merchants a century ago.7.Sunrise Prosperity Bank(Risheng chang Piaohao),opened in Daoguang Reign of Qing(1873)is a private banking insti-tute and regarded as a cairn in the his tory of China' s financial development.8.County Court(Xianya),located in southwestern section of the city and cover-ing an area of 26,592square meters,i s highly valued by historians,schola rs and experts.Climate:Pingyao has a continental monsoon and semi -arid climate.The c risp and high autumn is the best season for sightseeing.More clothes are advis able be-cause of the temperature difference between day and night.Transportation:98kilometers away from Taiyuan,Capital of Shanxi,Pin gyao is accessible by train from Taiyuan,Be ijing and Xi ' an.Neighboring Sites:adjacent to Taiyuan,Qiao' s Courtyard in Qixian,and Cao' s Courtyard in Taigu;not far from Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River a nd Wutai Mountains.Photo Opportunities:for a plethora of cultural relics,palae -architectu res,age -old sculptures,ancient murals and l ocal customs.Pay attention to rules on re lics protection in certain monasteries a nd temples while shooting those artifacts.Local products:Pingyao beef,pasta,and lacquer wares.