The abbreviation of the legend of Pingyao Ancient City is fifty to one hundred words.
The ancient city of Pingyao is located in the middle of Shanxi Province in northern China. It was built in the period of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (827 BC to 782 BC
) and in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370 AD). ) expansion, which has a history of more than 2,700 years. So far, it has relatively well preserved the basic features of the county town during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911 AD), making it the most complete existing ancient city in the Han ethnic area of China.
Pingyao is located on the east bank of the Fen River and at the southwest end of the Taiyuan Basin, adjacent to Qi County, another national historical and cultural city. Tongpu Railway and Dayun Expressway run through the county. The economy is mainly based on agriculture, mainly producing grain, cotton, beef, and polished lacquerware. Among them, beef is quite famous, with the lyrics of the folk song "Pingyao Beef Taigu Cake".
Pingyao was China's financial center in the late Qing Dynasty and has the most complete ancient county layout in China.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, it belonged to the State of Jin, and during the Warring States Period, it belonged to the State of Zhao. The Qin Dynasty established Pingtao County, and the Han Dynasty established Zhongdu County, which served as the capital for clan kings. The name was changed to Pingyao County in the Northern Wei Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 20 bank accounts headquartered in Pingyao, accounting for more than half of the country's total. It was also known as the "Wall Street of Ancient China". The largest among them is China's first banknote "Rishengchang", which was founded during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty and is famous for its "connecting the world".
Pingyao has basically preserved the prototype of the county seat from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and is known as the "Turtle City". The street pattern is in the shape of "earth", and the building layout follows the orientation of the Bagua, reflecting the urban planning concepts and form distribution of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
There are more than 300 various ruins and ancient buildings inside and outside the city, and nearly 4,000 well-preserved Ming and Qing houses. The streets and shops all reflect the original appearance of history. It is called a living sample for studying ancient Chinese cities.
The Pingyao City Wall was built in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. There are currently 6 gates, 4 turrets and 72 watchtowers. Among them, the south gate section of the city wall collapsed in 2004, but most of the rest are still intact. It is one of the largest, oldest, and most well-preserved ancient city walls in China. It is a core component of the World Heritage Pingyao Ancient City. In addition, Zhenguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Confucian Temple are also included in the protection scope of world heritage.
Pingyao Ancient City was announced by the State Council as the second batch of national historical and cultural cities in 1986. At present, the county has 3 national key cultural relics protection units, 6 provincial key cultural relics protection units, and 90 county-level cultural relics protection units. Its cultural relics are numerous, of high value and rich in content, which are rare among county-level cities across the country. Among the precious cultural relics in this ancient city are the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall of Zhenguo Temple, which was built in the seventh year of Tianhui (963) in the Northern Han Dynasty; Shuanglin Temple; there is the Qingxu Temple built in the second year of Xianqing of the Tang Dynasty (657); the Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple built in the seventh year of Tianhui in the Northern Han Dynasty (963); and the Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple built in the 10th year of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. Huiji Bridge in 1671.
Rishengchang Bank
During the Qing Dynasty, with the development of the commercial economy, some large Shanxi merchants
gradually established head offices in Shanxi. A business system that sets up branches in other places and operates across regions. Under such circumstances, large-scale wholesale and transportation sales brought about huge amounts of cash transportation business, so a new payment method
--bill exchange came into being. In the fourth year of Daoguang's reign (AD 1824), China's first "Rishengchang" bank account was established on the basis of Xiyucheng Pigment Shop on Pingyao West Street, which specialized in exchange and deposit banking business. Three years later, branches were established in Shandong, Henan, Liaoning, Jiangsu and other provinces. In the 1840s, its business further expanded to Japan, Singapore, Russia and other countries. At that time, driven by the "Rishengchang" ticket office, Pingyao's ticket office industry developed rapidly. At its peak, there were as many as 22 ticket companies here, and it once became the center of China's financial industry. center.
It can be seen that in China's modern financial history, Pingyao occupies a very important position.
The Ancient City Wall
Pingyao is said to have three treasures, and the ancient city wall is one of them. Pingyao County City Wall. Built in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370), with a circumference of 6.4 kilometers, it is the oldest and largest existing city wall in Shanxi. There were repairs in the Ming and Qing dynasties, but basically it still had the same shape and structure as in the early Ming Dynasty. The city is square, with a wall about 12 meters high. The exterior is entirely made of bricks, with crenellations built into the wall. There is a moat outside the wall, which is 4 meters deep and 4 meters wide. There are six gates around the city, two on the east and west, and one on the north and south. Wengcheng was built outside the east and west to facilitate defense. There are 3,000 crenels and 72 watchtowers, which are said to symbolize the three thousand disciples of Confucius and the seventy-two saints. The city wall has gone through more than 600 years of vicissitudes, and it still remains majestic to this day.
Yibao Ancient City Wall is the city wall of Pingyao County. Built in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370), with a circumference of 6.4 kilometers, it is the oldest and largest existing city wall in Shanxi. There were repairs in the Ming and Qing dynasties, but basically it still had the same shape and structure as in the early Ming Dynasty. The city is square in shape, with a wall about 12 meters high. The exterior is entirely made of bricks, with crenellations built into the wall. There is a moat outside the wall, which is 4 meters deep and 4 meters wide. There are six gates around the city, two on the east and west, and one on the north and south. Wengcheng was built outside the east and west to facilitate defense. There are 3,000 crenels and 72 watchtowers, which are said to symbolize the three thousand disciples of Confucius and the seventy-two saints. The city wall has gone through more than 600 years of vicissitudes, and it still remains majestic to this day. The streets, shops and houses in Pingyao Ancient City maintain their traditional layout and style. The streets are in the shape of a cross and shops are built along them. The pavement is strong and tall, with colorful paintings under the eaves and colorful carvings on the beams, giving it an antique feel. The residential houses behind the pavement are all courtyards with gray bricks and gray tiles, with clear axes and symmetry. The whole ancient city
presents a simple style.
Zhenguo Temple Mountain Gate
Out of the north gate of the ancient city is Zhenguo Temple, which is the second treasure of the ancient city. The Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall of the temple was built during the Five Dynasties (10th century AD). It is currently the third oldest wooden structure building in China, with a history of more than 1,000 years. The colorful sculptures from the Five Dynasties period in the hall are rare sculpture art treasures.
Three Treasures Shuanglin Temple The third treasure of the ancient city is Shuanglin Temple located in the southwest of the city. The temple was built in the second year of Wuping in the Northern Qi Dynasty (571 AD). There are more than 2,000 colored sculptures from the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty (13th to 17th centuries AD) preserved in more than 10 halls in the temple, which are known as the "treasure house of colored sculpture art".
Shuanglin Temple
Ping
The distant city wall was built as a rammed earth city wall during the period of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (827 BC to 782 BC). It was rebuilt in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370), and the original "nine miles and eighteen steps" was expanded to "twelve miles and eight quarters" (6.4 kilometers), and the rammed earth city wall was transformed into a brick and stone city wall. . According to the legend that "the mountains and rivers are facing the sun, and the turtles are playing in the water, and the city is built according to this, it is the victory." Taking the meaning of "good luck and longevity" of the divine turtle, it was built as "Turtle City". There were 25 repairs in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The city wall was square in plane, with a circumference of 6162.7 meters and a height of 10 meters. The battlements were 2 meters high and the top was 3-5 meters wide. The wall was made of plain earth. The exterior is covered with blue bricks and there are 77 drainage channels built with bricks on the interior walls.
A 2-meter-high crenellated wall (also known as a horse-blocking wall) was built outside the top of the wall. Taking the number of Confucius disciples and sages, there were 3,000 crenels, 72 watchtowers, and a parapet wall inside. There are four corner towers, a general platform on the east wall, and Kuixing Tower and Wenchang Pavilion on the top of the southeast corner. Due to the need for military defense, Pingyao City Wall has six urns with heavy gates, one in the north and south and two in the east and west. The south gate is Yingxun, the north gate is Gongji, the upper east gate is Taihe, the lower east gate is Qinhan, the upper west gate is Yongding, and the lower gate is Yingxun. Ximen Feng
Yi, each urn has a tower with double eaves on the top of the mountain, and there were originally suspension bridges outside the six urns with double eaves. There is a moat 3 meters wide around the outside of the city wall. There are Lutai Mountain and Liugen River in the south of the city. "The mountains and rivers are facing the sun, and the turtles are playing in the water."
So far, the city walls, streets, residences, shops, temples and other buildings of the ancient city are still basically intact, and the original form and layout have remained largely unchanged. They are all organic components of the existing historical relics of the ancient city of Pingyao.
Wengcheng
Built
A small city outside the city gate, also called Moon City, to enhance the city's defense capabilities. "Wu Jing Zong Yao First Collection: Guarding the City" records: "The urn outside the city is either round or square. Depending on the terrain, it is as tall and thick as the city, but with one door open to the left and right.
"Just as you wish." Most of the Wengcheng gates and the main gates in Pingyao Ancient City are at an angle of 90° (except for the South Gate and Lower East Gate). Even if the enemy breaks through the Wengcheng gate, there is still the main gate defense. The narrow space in Wengcheng makes it difficult
to launch a large-scale attack, which slows down the enemy's attack speed. However, the defenders on the top of the city wall can shoot from high altitudes in all directions, giving the enemy a fatal blow. This is what is called closing the door and beating the dog. , Catching turtles in an urn.
City
Tower Built on the top of the city gate, it was sometimes called "Qiao Tower" in ancient times. There are six towers in the Pingyao City Wall. They were built in the Ming Dynasty and repaired and rebuilt in the 42nd year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1703). The towers are 16.14 meters high,
5 rooms wide and 13.72 meters deep. Four rooms 10.04 meters. The shape is simple and elegant, and the structure is dignified and stable. The city tower is an exquisite and beautiful high-rise building on the top of the city wall. It is usually climbed high for observation, and the general takes command during wartime. It is an important high-altitude defense facility for a city.
Corner towers are turrets built on the four corners of the city wall. They are mainly used to make up for the weak defensive links in the blind corners of the city wall, thereby enhancing the defensive capabilities of the entire city wall. The corner towers respectively refer to the "Xiadie" tower in the northwest corner and the "Qiyue tower" in the northeast corner. The "Rui Ai Tower" in the southwest corner and the "Ningxiu Tower" in the southeast corner.
Point
Jiang’s Platform is located on the top of the city wall between the Upper East Gate and the Lower East Gate. It is now a high brick platform. According to legend, after King Xuan of Zhou came to the throne in 827 BC, he sent General Yin Jifu to lead his troops in the Northern Expedition against the 烋狁, and won a series of battles. Later, he was ordered to station troops in what is now Pingyao.
He built additional city walls, trained soldiers here, and ordered generals to practice martial arts. . In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, in order to commemorate Yin Jifu's achievements, people built the Gaozhen Temple at the place where Yin Zeng ordered the military parade. When the city wall was being repaired in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the "Gaozhen Temple" was integrated into one. It is a broad platform on the top of the city. Climbing high and overlooking the distance makes you feel relaxed and happy. The poem says: "The platforms are hundreds of feet long and connected to the county town. Jifu In front of the pheasant battlement, the grass plugs have disappeared for a long time, and the dragon flag timidly comes out of the car year."
The moat is the ditch surrounding the
city. In order to defend against invasion by foreign enemies, ancient humans dug trenches around settlements, and the resulting belt-like highlands inspired people to build walls. The emergence of the city can be seen as the result of taking soil from the site when the city wall was first built. The accumulated water in Hao Nei formed a pond or a river, which became an insurmountable line of defense. "Only the city surrounds the people, but only the pond surrounds the city." The "pool" is the barrier of the "city", so it is often called the "moat". The suspension bridge is a wooden plank bridge that spans the city moat. The outward end of the bridge is tied with a rope. The bridge deck can be lifted at any time through pulleys and winches to cut off the incoming road.
Corner platform and turret Corner platform is a pier that protrudes from the four corners of the city wall and is integrated with the wall.
There is a tower and oar built on each corner platform, which is called corner tower. The orientation of the turret is at an angle of 135° with the big wall, and the height and volume of the building are between those of the city tower and the watchtower. During wartime, the defenders in the turrets were condescending and had a wide field of vision, allowing them to monitor and defeat attacking enemies from various angles. Due to their unusual strategic location, the corner platform and turrets have been listed as important projects in the past maintenance projects of the Pingyao City Wall. During the overhaul that lasted for six years between Daoguang and Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty, the dilapidated "four corner watchtowers" (i.e. turrets) were simply demolished and a taller two-story pavilion of brick and wood structure was rebuilt. . The floor plan of the building is square, covering an area of 27 square meters. The front facade is equipped with an arched door, and there are brick steps leading to the second floor. The second floor has circular observation windows on all sides, and the building is made of bricks. , with wooden floors and a mountain-like roof, with five spines and six animals.
Traditional architectural art is integrated into the military fortress.
Horse face and watch tower "Horse
face" is an attached pier protruding outward in the city wall. It is so called because it has a long and slender shape, like the face of a horse. The design of the "horse face" not only enhances the solidity of the wall, but also eliminates blind spots on the battlefield during the city defense battle: once the enemy approaches the city, the defenders on the adjacent horse faces can organize Form a cross shooting net, so that the intruders will be attacked from both sides and completely defeated. There is a horse face every 60 to 100 meters in the Pingyao city wall. On the horse face there are towers and oars for observing the enemy's situation, which are called "enemy towers". According to old records, when the city wall of Pingyao was rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty, only forty "enemy nests" were built. In the third year of Longqing (1569), the number increased to 94. In the third year of Wanli (1575), the entire city was covered with bricks and stones.
At the same time, 72 watchtowers were rebuilt into brick and wood structures. They have been repaired for generations and remain to this day. "The watchtowers are square in plan, covering an area of 10.24 square meters, with double floors, four brick walls, and a hard top. , covered with tube tiles (Taihe Gate
The two enemy towers on the left and right of Wengcheng have ridge decorations). The ground floor faces the city with an arched door. There are wooden stairs in the building, floor slabs on the upper floor, and four sides on the upper floor. There are two arched windows. Looking up at the watch towers, they are like sentries standing in a row, which is awe-inspiring. The windows upstairs resemble the ears and eyes of a giant. There are numerous watchtowers, and they even face a certain street in the city, from which they can monitor. It can be seen that both in peacetime and wartime, the watchtower also has the function of security prevention.
Wall
Body and Guancheng The plan layout of Pingyao City Wall is square, facing south and 15° to the east. The reason why the city pursues "squareness" is not to explain the ancient saying that "the sky is round and the earth is round, and the Tao is in the center", or it comes from scientific architectural conception: except for circles, the shortest perimeter The only thing that can enclose the largest area is the square. The orientation of the city, although facing south is respected, but the county seat is not as good as the imperial city, so it is 15° eastward according to local conditions, which is exactly in line with the prevailing wind direction all year round, and is bathed in abundant sunshine every day. In front of the city is the Zhongdu River, and in the distance are Lutai Mountain and Chaoshan Mountain. They are surrounded by mountains and rivers, and they are full of vitality. The circumference of Pingyao City Wall is 6162.68 meters (consistent with the "circumstances of twelve miles and eighty-four centimeters" in the early Ming Dynasty), of which the east wall is 1478.48 meters and the south wall is 1713.80 meters (the straight-line distance between the southern ends of the east and west walls is no more than 1,500 meters), the west wall is 1,494.35 meters, and the north wall is 1,476.05 meters. The east, west, and north sides are straight, except for the south wall that shrinks and moves like a turtle as the Zhongdu River meanders. The ancient Chinese etiquette stipulates that the emperor's city is nine li away, the duke's city is seven li away, the marquis and earl's city is five li away, and the viscount's city is three li away. Pingyao City is three square miles in size and is obviously the largest city among the lowest level (i.e. county town) in ancient times. According to historical records, the old city of Pingyao three years before Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty was nine miles and eighteen steps away. From the last words of an ancestor of a citizen with the surname Ji in the city, we learned that in the ninth year of Zhizheng (1349) of the Yuan Dynasty, the west of Shaxiang Street in the city was still outside the city. Birds chirping." In the second year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1369), a flood caused disaster and destroyed the west city wall, leaving behind red mud and sand. When the city was expanded the following year, the city wall was moved westward, resulting in today's Shaxiang Street. Furthermore, the name of the current Yaochang Street in the city comes from the kiln that fired city bricks during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. Since it is a kiln, it should be located outside the old city, so the north wall of the city must not be far away. In the Yaochang Street area. Based on this judgment, the perimeter of the old city is very consistent with the saying of "nine miles and eighteen steps". Three years of expansion and reconstruction in Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty established the basic shape of the existing city wall. The wall is "three feet and two feet" high, with a base width of 8 to 12 meters and a top width of 3 to 6 meters. The early walls were built with rammed earth, and the base of the rammed earth wall was filled with natural earth. In the rammed earth layer left over from the Ming Dynasty, there are wooden plugs with a diameter of 6 cm to 7 cm. Starting from the ground, every two meters is a layer, and the wooden plugs are distributed at a distance of 2 meters to 3 meters. The diameter of the rammed pit in the rammed earth is 15 cm, the depth is 2 cm-3 cm, and the ramming layer is 12 cm-15 cm. Wall points are 15-
20.
There is a stone foundation on the outside of the rammed earth wall, and the retaining wall is wrapped with special blue bricks (34 cm * 17 cm * 7.7 cm). On the inside of the retaining wall, brick stacks of 58 cm * 80 cm are built every 5 to 6 meters to connect with the rammed earth wall. The thickness of the retaining wall from bottom to top is 87 cm, 70 cm, and 53 cm respectively. The height of each layer accounts for about one-third of the total height of the wall, and the wall score is 9. The section of the wall forms a trapezoid. At the root of the outer eaves wall, water-dispersing steps are built along the direction of the big wall, commonly known as small city walls. The steps are 1 meter high and 3-5 meters wide. The table is paved with half bricks on the side. At the head of the outer eaves wall, there is a brick crenelation wall, 2 meters high, 53 centimeters thick, and each stack is 1.39 meters long. There are three layers of eaves bricks on top, and there is a lookout hole 25 centimeters high and 17.7 centimeters wide in the middle. There are crenel openings between the battlements, 53 cm wide, for shooting. Under each section of the crenel wall, a rectangular "gun eye" as large as the crenel was opened to accommodate the gun body and launch it in a kneeling position. The creneled wall with 3,000 crenels alternates between virtual and real at the top of Pingyao City. It eliminates the rigidity of high walls and thick walls in terms of shape. It satisfies the pursuit of balance between yin and yang in terms of Yi studies. During wartime
the soldiers and horses guarding the city. It is enough to block arrows and stones. Therefore, the crenel wall is also called the horse-blocking wall. At the top of the inner eaves, a low brick wall is built to protect the safety. The top of the city wall is made of green bricks, and the water is dispersed at the water outlet under the parapet wall, and then drained to the city horse road through the brick water tank.
City Gates and City Walls Pingyao City has six ancient city gates, two on the east and west sides. A bird's-eye view of the ancient city of Pingyao looks like a tortoise about to move. The "tortoise" has its head south and its tail north. The four east and west gates are compared to the four legs of a tortoise. Therefore, it is known as the "Turtle City" among the people. Outside the south gate, the Zhongdu River meandered by in ancient times, which inspired the ancient literati to lament that "playing in the water in front of the turtle, the mountains and rivers facing the sun, the city was built with this in mind". The turtle is a symbol of good luck and longevity.
The theory of "Turtle City" originated from the ancients' worship of the "four spirits". "Turtle City" means solid gold soup and long-term peace and stability.
Pingyao City is high in the south and low in the north, with doors opening on all four sides. Folks distinguish the six gates by their orientation and
topography. They call the six gates the South Gate, the North Gate, the Upper East Gate, the Upper West Gate, and the South Gate. Go to the east gate and west gate. In fact, each originally had its own name. According to the "Fenzhou Prefecture Chronicles O Construction Volume" in the 37th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty: "In the third year of Longqing's reign, County Yuewei built suspension bridges outside the six gates, and erected brick gates on each side. The two characters of "Shi" are "magnificent". The second one is called "Zhukou" and the second one is "Kou Shun". The second one is called "Xikou" and the other one is "Wei Enemy". p>
The city wall was built with bricks, according to the records of the inspector Liang Minghan. During a major renovation ten years later, the county magistrate Liu Xu renamed the six gates and personally received the plaques: Yingxun, Gongji, Taihe, Yongding, Qinhan, and Fengyi. The city faces both south and east. The south gate welcomes the harmonious wind from the southeast and is called the "Ying Xun Gate"; the ancients used the North Star as the symbol of the north. Confucius said: "For politics With virtue, it is like Beichen, where all the stars are aligned. "The north gate is called "Gongji Gate", which means that all directions are directed, and everyone respects it; the upper east gate is located in the direction of vitality, which means it is full of vitality. To protect Taihe
"Taihe Gate" means "Taihe Gate"; the upper west gate is named "Yongding Gate", hoping that the country will be consolidated forever, the country will be peaceful and the people are safe; the lower east gate has been the strategic center of the city since ancient times, and the plaque on the gate reads "Dr. The word "Han" is intended to warn people to "take advantage of Han in military affairs" and take it as their own responsibility to defend the country
The lower west gate is named "Fengyi Gate", which seems to be inspired by the early legend about the phoenix outside the west gate. The mythical influence of coming to the dynasty is, "The flute and Shao are 90%, and the phoenix comes with grace." The phoenix comes with grace and grace, which is an auspicious auspicious sign, making people think of virtuous government, benefiting the people, and prosperous national destiny.
The city wall is a wall used for defense in war, and the city gate is the weak point in the defense line. In order to strengthen the defense, outside the city gate
which is built along the wall, there are A heavy gate was built to form another line of defense outside the inner gate. The enclosed space between the inner and outer gates was like a small city outside the big city. The "small city" was called the "barbican city".
During the war, the Wengcheng provided excellent conditions for the defenders to detour with the enemy. Feng Shui experts used the Wengcheng to "avoid evil spirits". But very realistically, the Wengcheng was enough to shield the wind and dust from the suburbs. The system of Wengcheng in China began in the Han Dynasty. There is no research on when the city first had an Wengcheng. We only know that the lower east gate Wengcheng was built in the fourth year of Mingzheng (1509), and in the 31st year of Jiajing (1552) ) built the north gate urn city, and the towers were updated in the 41st year of Jiajing (1562). In the 22nd year of Wanli (1594), "Three of the people who built the east and west urns
all used bricks and stones." Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty In the thirty-fifth year (1696), the south gate urn city was repaired, and in the forty year (1701), the upper east gate urn city was repaired. In the 42nd year of Kangxi (1703), the emperor's western inspection tour passed through Pingyao, so the six towers were renovated. In the forty-fourth year (1705), the doorway of the upper east gate gate was repaired. From the 30th year of Daoguang (1850) to the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856), a comprehensive and large-scale city wall maintenance project was carried out. "Five gates in the east, west, north and west were built, and the foundations of all were repaired. But the height of the south gate is a few feet higher", which resulted in the existing regulations. Among the six ancient city gates, there are four east and west gates, facing each other, the upper east gate, the upper west gate, and the lower west gate. The heavy gates all open to the south, facing the mountains and rivers in the distance, so that they can "take in the air". "The central axis of the lower east gate's heavy gate is parallel to the central axis of the inner gate. It faces the official road leading to Kyoto to show respect for the imperial court. Although the main gate of the south gate is opposite to the inner gate, it still faces south due to the situation. The heavy door of the north gate is 90° to the inner door and opens to the east, bathed in the eastern dawn.
The gate tower refers to the gate tower on the city wall, which is the symbol of the "city". Its majestic
appearance shows the majesty of the city and the style of the nation. The city tower in Pingyao existed in the Ming Dynasty and was rebuilt during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. The towers at the south and north gates are in the style of a mountain-mounted corridor with two stories and seven purlins, with triple eaves. The towers at the east and west gates are in the style of a mountain-mounted corridor with double eaves, two stories and seven purlins. In ancient or modern wars, the brick-and-wood structure of the city tower served as a lookout, the headquarters of the generals who defended the city, and an extremely important shooting point. In modern defensive battles, its function is no longer sufficient.
That's why.
Complete ancient residential community: Since its reconstruction in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1370), the ancient city of Pingyao has basically maintained its original layout, which can be verified by documents and objects. The key residential buildings in Pingyao City were built between 1840 and 1911 AD. The layout of residential buildings is rigorous, with clear axes, symmetry, clear priorities, undulating outlines, closed exteriors, and deep courtyards. The exquisite wood carvings, brick carvings and stone carvings, coupled with the paper-cut window grilles with strong local flavor, are lifelike and vivid. It is the most complete ancient residential community preserved in the Han ethnic area so far.
Developed financial city: Pingyao is one of the birthplaces of the famous "Shanxi merchants" in ancient Chinese commerce. In the fourth year of Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1824), the prototype of China's first modern bank, "Rishengchang", was born in Pingyao. Three years later, "Rishengchang" has established branches in many provinces in China
. In the 1840s, its business further expanded to Japan, Singapore, Russia and other countries. At that time, driven by the "Rishengchang" ticket office, Pingyao's ticket office industry developed rapidly. At its peak, there were as many as 22 ticket companies here, and it once became the center of China's financial industry, controlling and controlled China's modern financial industry.
Historical status: Pingyao is one of the birthplaces of the famous "Shanxi merchants" in ancient Chinese
commerce. In the fourth year of Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1824), the prototype of China's first modern bank, "Rishengchang", was born in Pingyao. Three years later, "Rishengchang" has established branches in many provinces in China. In the 1840s, its business further expanded to Japan, Singapore, Russia and other countries. At that time, driven by the "Rishengchang" ticket office, Pingyao's ticket office industry developed rapidly. At its peak, there were as many as 22 ticket companies here, and it once became the center of China's financial industry.
Cultural value: The ancient city of Pingyao was built in the period of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (827-782 BC) and has a history of more than 2,700 years. Since China implemented the "prefecture and county system" in 221 BC, Pingyao has been the seat of the "county government" and continues to this day. This is China's most basic first-level city. The ancient city wall that is now preserved is the original state when it was expanded in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370 AD). The six existing temple complexes, county government offices, city buildings and other ancient buildings in the city are all original objects. There are more than 100 large and small streets in the city, which are still in their original historical form. The commercial shops on both sides of the streets are basically buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries. There are 3,797 traditional houses in the city, of which more than 400 have high preservation value and unique local style
.
Cultural Relics: The ancient city of Pingyao has a history of more than 2,700 years since its city construction activities. During the long development process, the number of preserved cultural relics is large, high density and span. It has a long history and is a "big cultural relics county" in Shanxi Province, known as the "Treasure House of Chinese Ancient Architecture". The numerous cultural relics of Pingyao Ancient City not only represent the architectural forms, construction methods and material standards of ancient Chinese cities in different historical periods, but also reflect the artistic progress and aesthetics of different ethnic groups and regions in ancient China. Achievement. The cultural heritage is unique and rich.
Cultural characteristics: The ancient city of Pingyao is a city built in accordance with the traditional planning ideas and architectural styles of the Han nation. It embodies the historical and cultural characteristics of the Han nation from around the 14th to the 19th century AD. It has important reference value for studying the social form, economic structure, military defense, religious beliefs, traditional thoughts, ethics and morals of this period. It has the traditional cultural characteristics of the Han nation.
Complete ancient residential community: Pingyao Ancient City has basically maintained its original layout since its reconstruction in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1370), and there are documents and objects that can be verified. The key residential buildings in Pingyao City were built between 1840 and 1911 AD. The layout of residential buildings is rigorous, with clear axes, symmetry, clear priorities, undulating outlines, closed exteriors, and deep courtyards. The exquisite wood carvings, brick carvings and stone carvings, coupled with the paper-cut window grilles with strong local flavor, are lifelike and vivid. It is the most complete ancient residential community preserved in the Han ethnic area so far.
Developed financial city: The ancient city of Pingyao was one of the cities with the most developed financial industry in the middle and late 19th century. It is the location of industry headquarters and the place with the highest concentration of financial industry headquarters institutions. A period of time. Once manipulated and controlled China's modern financial industry. The ancient city of Pingyao has had a positive impact on China's modern economic development during its more than 100 years of prosperity. [10]
Edit this section about folk customs, folk society, fire and drought
The boat is made of bamboo strips, wooden strips, and colored silk, which are woven into colorful boats, surrounded by silk and satin, and covered with wooden strips. , silk and satin tent. During the performance, there is accompaniment of wind and drum music. One person rides a boat to play the role of a woman. She ties the boat to her shoulders with a colorful ribbon and sits cross-legged in the "boat"
with prosthetic legs, walking as if on a boat. Another person pretended to be a boatman, holding an oar in front of him to guide the boat. The content is mostly stories related to boats in ancient dramas, such as "Fishing and Killing the Family", "Xu Xian Touring the Lake", "Autumn River", etc.
Polished lacquer ware is a kind of high-end paint utensil of a technical nature. It is named after the luster pushed out by the palm of the hand. Pingyao lacquerware, a famous handicraft from Shanxi, has a simple and elegant appearance, is shiny and resplendent in decoration, has a delicate and smooth feel
, is heat- and moisture-proof, and is durable. It is truly the finest lacquerware. According to records, the production of polished lacquerware in Pingyao began in the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty and has a long history. Most of the existing varieties are high-end screens, hanging screens, etc.
The base paint is mostly ink black, rosy red, apricot yellow, green purple, and the top is painted with national-style patterns, or painted with gold, or carved with a knife, or inlaid with drums, and the lines are smooth. , harmonious tones and magnificent. The production of Pingyao lacquerware is divided into five processes: wooden tire, gray tire, lacquer worker, painter and inlay. Nowadays, Pingyao Tuiguang lacquerware is exported to 28 countries and regions around the world. Pingyao Tuiguang lacquerware has won the Silver Cup Award and the Gold Cup Award of the National Arts and Crafts Hundred Flowers Award. World
World Expo’s high-quality products are exported to more than 30 countries and regions. Become a best-selling product in the international market.
Pingyao beef is a famous specialty of Pingyao with a long history. It became famous as early as the mid-Ming Dynasty. It is made from high-quality veal leg meat that is cooked and marinated. The meat is fresh and tender, fat but not greasy, lean but not dry, crispy and delicious. Historically, the famous workshops that processed five-spice sauce beef in Pingyao City include "Longshengwang", "Xingshenglei", "Zilicheng" and other time-honored brands.
Pingyao bowl is a long-standing flavored pasta snack in Pingyao. It was first invented by Dong Xuan, a chef in the Qing Dynasty, and has a history of a hundred years. It has the characteristics of chewy texture, smoothness and delicious taste.