The development history and protection measures of Pingyao Ancient City?
Pingyao Ancient City●Chinese name: Pingyao Ancient City
●English name: The Ancient City of Ping Yao
●Approval time: December 1997 (Pingyao, Shanxi) The ancient city was included in the "World Heritage List" in December 1997)
●Heritage type: Cultural heritage
●Heritage selection criteria: Pingyao Ancient City is based on cultural heritage selection criteria C(II) (III)(IV) Be included in the World Heritage List.
●World Heritage Committee evaluation:
The ancient city of Pingyao is the most complete ancient county town in China. It is an outstanding example of a Chinese Han city in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It played an important role in Chinese history. In the process of development, it shows people an extraordinary complete picture of cultural, social, economic and religious development.
Introduction to the ancient city at night The ancient city of Pingyao, located in Shanxi, is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 2,700 years. It is also known as Langzhong of Sichuan, Lijiang of Yunnan, and Shexian of Anhui, which are also among the second batch of national historical and cultural cities. "The four most well-preserved ancient cities", it is also the only ancient county in my country that has successfully applied for a world cultural heritage with an entire ancient city. Pingyao was formerly known as "Ancient Tao". In the early Ming Dynasty, the city wall was built to defend against foreign invasion from the south. In the third year of Hongwu (AD 1370), the old wall was rebuilt and expanded, and it was completely covered with bricks. Later, Jingde, Zhengde, Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli dynasties carried out ten repairs and repairs, updated the towers and added enemy towers. In the 43rd year of Kangxi (AD 1703), because the emperor passed through Pingyao on his western tour, he built four large towers, making the city even more spectacular. The Pingyao City Wall has a total circumference of 6,163 meters and a wall height of about 12 meters. It divides Pingyao County, which covers an area of about 2.25 square kilometers, into two worlds with completely different styles. Within the city wall, the streets, pavements, and market buildings retain the Ming and Qing style; outside the city wall, it is called the New City. This is a wonderful place where ancient and modern buildings are integrated and complement each other, making people daydream about it.
Beautiful Ancient City History Pingyao Ancient City is located in the central part of Shanxi Province in northern China. It was first built in the period of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (827 BC to 782 BC) and expanded in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370 AD). It 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 ruins and ancient buildings of various types 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. It currently has 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 also the core of the World Heritage Pingyao Ancient City. components.
In addition, Zhenguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Confucian Temple are also included in the protection scope of world heritage.
Pingyao Ancient City is a well-preserved historical city and the prototype of ancient Chinese cities. It is the most complete ancient county town in China and an outstanding example of Chinese Han cities in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the development of Chinese history, it shows people an extraordinary picture of cultural, social, economic and religious development. Complete scroll text of Pingyao Ancient City.
Overview of the vicissitudes of the ancient city. The traffic network of Pingyao Ancient City consists of four crisscrossing main streets, eight small streets, and seventy-two alleys.
South Street is the central axis of Pingyao Ancient City. It starts from the junction of East and West Streets in the north and ends at Dadongmen (Yingxunmen) in the south. It is run through the north and south by ancient market buildings. On both sides of the street, there are time-honored brands and traditional famous shops. Linli is the most prosperous traditional commercial street. During the Qing Dynasty, South Street controlled more than 50% of the country's financial institutions. It is known as China's "Waltz Street".
West Street starts from Xiaximen (Fengyi Gate) in the west, intersects with the northern end of South Street in the east, and forms a straight main street with East Street. The famous China's first bank, Rishengchang, was born on the West Street of the ancient city, known as the "First Financial Street of the Qing Dynasty".
Rishengchang Bank was founded in the fourth year of Daoguang (1824 AD). The site covers an area of 2324 square meters, with compact land and clear functions. After a century of vicissitudes and brilliant achievements, it was the leader in the country's finance, pioneered China's national banking industry, and once controlled the economic lifeline of the entire Qing Dynasty in the 19th century. Its branches are located in more than 30 cities and important commercial towns across the country, as well as in Europe, America, Southeast Asia and other countries, and are famous for "connecting the world". After the establishment of Rishengchang bank account, Jiexiu, Taigu and Qixian counties followed suit.
East Street starts from Xiadongmen (Qinhanmen) in the east, intersects with the northern end of South Street in the west, and forms a straight main street with West Street.
North Street, starting from the North Gate (Gongji Gate) in the north, to the middle of West Street in the south.
The names of Eight Small Streets and Seventy-two Centipede Lanes have their own origins. Some of them are named after nearby buildings or eye-catching signs, such as Yamen Street, Shuyuan Street, Xiaochang Lane, Helanqiao Lane, Flagpole Street, Sanyanjing Street, Zhaobi South Street, Xiaochayuan Lane, etc.; some are named after ancestral temples, such as Confucian Temple Street, Chenghuang Temple Street, Luohan Temple Street, Huoshen Temple Street, Guandi Temple Street, Zhenwu Temple Street , Wudaomiao Street, etc.; some are named after local large households, such as Zhao Juren Street, Leijiayuan Street, Songmenghuai Lane, Yanjia Lane, Jijia Lane, Guojia Lane, Fanjia Street, Shaojia Lane, Ma Jiaxiang, etc.; there is a relatively closed city within the city in the northeast corner of the ancient city, which is similar to a square in an ancient city. The four nearby streets are also named Dongbijingbao, Zhongbijingbao, Westbijingbao and Bawaiwai. Street; there are also some streets and alleys whose names cannot be explored, such as Renyi Street, Tianshui Lane, Douya Street, Huludu Lane, etc.
The residential houses in Pingyao Ancient City are mainly courtyard houses with wooden structures with brick walls and tile roofs. They have a rigorous layout, symmetry, and orderly hierarchy. Large families built two-, three-, or even larger courtyards, and the courtyards were often separated by ornately decorated hanging flower doors. Most residential courtyards are beautifully decorated. The entrance door usually has a brick screen wall, the beams under the eaves are decorated with wood carvings, and the pillar foundations, door posts, and stone drums are often decorated with stone carvings.
There is a popular saying among the people: "Ten weird things in the ancient city of Pingyao", one of which is "the house is half-built." The reason why most of the houses in Pingyao are on single slopes and fall into the water is the most widely circulated saying, which is called "four strange things". "Shuiguitang" or "fertile water does not flow to outsiders' fields". Shanxi is located in a drought and has strong winds and sand. Building a house on a single slope can increase the height of the exterior wall facing the street, and without opening windows facing the street, it can effectively withstand Wind sand and improve safety factor. The compact layout of the courtyard shows the national character of being repellent to the outside world and cohesive to the inside.
Chenghuang Temple is located on Chenghuang Temple Street in the southeast of the city. It consists of three building complexes: City God Temple, Caishen Temple and Zaojun Temple. The City God is one of the important gods commonly worshiped in the religious culture of the ancient Han people. Most of them are played by famous ministers and heroes who have made contributions to the local people.
The slogan of the City God’s Temple, “When the emperor has trouble going to the Temple of Heaven, when county magistrates have trouble, come here.” I don’t know where it came from. However, in history, especially in the Ming Dynasty, the official position granted to the City God was indeed higher than that of the county magistrate. Taizu of the Ming Dynasty ordered that all places must It is necessary to build the City God's Temple and set it up symmetrically with the county government office, so that "yin and yang each perform their own duties". This is a clear reflection of the ancient idea of "the rule of man and god".
Qingxu Temple is located in the eastern section of Dongda Street. It was founded in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Yuan Dynasty. The existing main building is a relic of the Ming Dynasty and is a key cultural protection unit in Shanxi Province.
Legends of the ancient streets and ancient cities of the Ming and Qing Dynasties The ancient city of Pingyao was built during the period of King Xuan of Zhou from 827 BC to 782 BC. It was built for the Western Zhou general Yin Jifu to garrison here. Since the Qin Dynasty government implemented the "prefecture and county system" in 221 BC, Pingyao City has been the seat of the county government and continues to this day. The ancient city of Pingyao has gone through many vicissitudes and changes, and has become the most complete prototype of an ancient Chinese county town during the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. The ancient city we see now is what it looked like after expansion in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370). The expanded Pingyao City is grand and majestic, with a city circumference of 6.4 kilometers. It is the oldest and largest existing county wall in Shanxi and China.
The bird's-eye view of the ancient city of Pingyao is even more amazing. This city wall is flat and square, shaped like a turtle, and has six gates, one in the north and south, and two in the east and west. The south gate of the city is the turtle head, and the two wells outside the gate symbolize the eyes of the turtle. The north gate is the turtle's tail, which is the lowest point in the city. All the accumulated water in the city flows out through this. There are four barbicans on the east and west sides of the city, facing each other. The gates of the upper west gate, lower west gate, and upper east gate all open to the south, shaped like turtle claws extending forward. Only the outer gate of the lower east gate of the barbican opens straight to the east. It is said that it was built when the city was built. In case the turtle crawled away, he straightened his left leg and tied it to a foothills platform twenty miles away from the city. This seemingly false legend reflects the ancient people's extreme admiration for turtles. The turtle is an immortal creature, and in the minds of the ancients, it is as holy as a god. It embodies the profound meaning of hoping to use the power of the Turtle God to make the ancient city of Pingyao as solid as a rock, forever solid, safe and sound, and to last forever. There are also 72 watchtowers on the city wall, and there are 3,000 crenellations on the outside of the top of the wall. Legend has it that they are a symbol of Confucius's 3,000 disciples and 72 sages.
Night View Cultural Tourism
National Historical and Cultural City: Pingyao.
National key cultural relics protection units: Pingyao City Wall, Zhenguo Temple, Pingyao Shuanglin Temple, Cixiang Temple, Pingyao Confucian Temple
[Edit this paragraph] Pingyao Three Treasures
It is said that Pingyao has 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 walls about 12 meters high. The exterior is entirely made of bricks, with crenellations built into the walls. There is a moat outside the walls, 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 shop fronts 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.
There is Zhenguo Temple at the north gate of the ancient city, 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.
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".
The architectural composition of Shuanglin Temple 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 pattern have remained largely unchanged. They are all organic components of the existing historical relics of the ancient city of Pingyao part.
[Edit this paragraph] Pingyao City Wall
Pingyao 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, eight minutes and four centimeters" (6.4 kilometers), and the rammed earth city wall was transformed into a masonry 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 is square in plan, with a circumference of 6162.7 meters and a height of 10 meters. The battlements are 2 meters high and the top width is 3-5 meters. The wall is made of solid soil, with blue bricks on the outside and bricks on the inside. 77 drainage channels were built. A 2-meter-high creneled 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 crenellations, 72 watchtowers, and a parapet built inside. There are four corner towers, a general tower 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. In Ximen Fengyi, 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 you can play in the water in front of the turtle."
Wengcheng: A small city built 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 one door is left open, and the left and right sides are as they please." Pingyao Ancient City Most of the Wengcheng gates and the main city gate are oriented at an angle of 90° (except for the South Gate and the Lower East Gate). Even if the enemy breaks through the Wengcheng gate, there is still a main city gate defense. Due to the narrow space in Wengcheng, it is not easy to deploy. The large-scale attack slowed down the enemy's attack speed, while the defenders at the top of the city wall could shoot from all directions, delivering a fatal blow to the enemy. As the saying goes, beating a dog behind closed doors or catching a turtle 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, five bays wide and 13.72 meters wide, and four bays deep 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 used as a lookout, and the general takes command during wartime. It is an important high-altitude defense facility for a city.
Corner towers: turrets built on the four corners of the city wall. They are mainly used to make up for the weak defensive links at the 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.
Dianjiang Platform: 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 Yangtze River, and won consecutive battles. Later, he was ordered to station troops in what is now Pingyao, build additional city walls, and train soldiers and generals to practice martial arts here. 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. It is refreshing and refreshing to climb up and look into the distance. The poem says: "The platforms are hundreds of feet long and connected to the county town. In front of the battlements where Jifu was named." The battle fortress has been gone for a long time, and the dragon flag is timidly coming out of the car year."
City Hao and Suspension Bridge:
Moat: the moat 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 spanning 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 inbound and outbound route.
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 turret had a commanding position and 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 six-year overhaul between Daoguang and Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty, the dilapidated "four corner watchtowers" (i.e. turrets) were simply demolished and a taller two-story brick and wood pavilion was rebuilt. The floor plan of the building is square, covering an area of 27 square meters. There is an arched door on the front facade, and there are brick steps leading to the second floor. There are circular lookout windows on all sides of the second floor. The building is made of brick and has wooden floors. Top resting mountain pose, 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 firmness of the wall, but also eliminates blind spots on the battlefield during city defense battles: once the enemy approaches the city, the guards on adjacent horse faces can be organized into a cross-shooting net to defeat the intruders. He was attacked on 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 watching the enemy, which are called "enemy towers". According to old records, when the Pingyao city wall was rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty, only forty "enemy towers" 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. , 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, double-layered, with four brick walls, a hard top, and tube tile covering." There are ridges on the roofs of the two enemy towers on the left and right sides of Menweng City. There is an arched door on the ground floor facing the city. There is a wooden staircase in the building, a floor slab on the upper floor, and two arched windows on each side of the upper floor. 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 and prevention.
Wall 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, only squares can be enclosed by the shortest perimeter to form the largest area. . Although the orientation of the city is towards the south, the county seat is not as good as the imperial city, so it is oriented 15° eastward according to local conditions, which is in line with the prevailing wind direction all year round and bathes in abundant sunshine every day. In front of the city is the Zhongdu River, and in the distance are Lutai Mountain and Chaoshan Mountain. The mountains and rivers are facing each other, and they are full of vitality. The circumference of Pingyao City Wall is 6162.68 meters (consistent with the "eight and four centimeters of twelve miles around" in the early Ming Dynasty), of which the east wall is 1478.48 meters, the south wall is 1713.80 meters (the straight-line distance between the southern ends of the east and west walls is only 1500 meters), and the west wall is 1494.35 meters meters, the north wall is 1476.05 meters, and the east, west and north sides are straight. Only the south wall shrinks and moves like a turtle as it meanders along the Zhongdu River. The ancient Chinese etiquette stipulates that the emperor's city is nine li in size, the duke's city is seven li in size, the marquis and earl's city is five li in size, and the viscount's city is three li in size. Pingyao City is three square miles wide 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 current city was still outside the city, where "mulberry gardens became forests and hundreds of birds sang". 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 where city bricks were fired during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. Since it is a kiln, it should be located outside the old city, so the northern city wall must not be far from 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 collection is 15%-20%. There is a strip of stone as the 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, there are brick stacks of 58 cm * 80 cm 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 yield 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, and the table is paved with half bricks on the side. At the head of the outer eaves wall, there is a brick crenel wall, 2 meters high and 53 centimeters thick. Each stack is 1.39 meters long. There are three layers of eaves bricks on it, 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 head of Pingyao City. It eliminates the rigidity of high walls and thick walls in terms of shape, and satisfies the pursuit of balance between yin and yang in terms of Yi Xue. The soldiers and horses defending the city during war are 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 blue 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 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 likened 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 term "turtle city" originated from the ancients' worship of the "four spirits". The "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 based on their orientation and terrain, and call the six gates the South Gate, the North Gate, the Upper East Gate, the Upper West Gate, the Lower East Gate and the Lower West Gate. In fact, each originally had its own name. According to the Records of Fenzhou Prefecture and Construction Volume in the 37th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty: "In the third year of Longqing, the county magistrate Yue Wei built a suspension bridge outside each of the six gates, erected brick gates on each side, and erected lying stones. Magnificent view. The second gate on the east side is called "Zhukou", and the other is "Kou Shun". The second gate on the west side is called "Zhakou", and the other is "Wei Enemy". Note. In the 22nd year of Wanli, it was added and the urn circle was demolished. The south gate was called Fenkou and the north gate was called Xirong. "In the Qing Dynasty, during the major repair of the city wall 30 years after Daoguang, the six gates were rebuilt. Name them and receive the plaques in person: 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: "Government should be based on virtue, such as Beichen. The north gate is called "Gongji Gate", which means that everyone is respected by the four directions; the upper east gate is located in the direction of vitality, which means that it is full of vitality and maintains peace. "Taihe Gate"; the upper west gate is named "Yongding Gate" in the hope that the country will be consolidated forever, the country will be peaceful and the people are safe; the lower east gate has been a strategic hub of the city since ancient times, and the word "Qin Han" is written on the gate, which is intended to warn people to "take advantage of Han in military affairs" ", with the mission of defending the country and protecting the family; the name of the lower west gate "Fengyi Gate" seems to be influenced by the early myth about a phoenix coming to the court outside the west gate, "Xiao Shao ninety percent, the phoenix comes to Yi", the phoenix comes and Appearance is an auspicious sign, which makes 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, in addition to the city gate built along with the wall, another heavy gate is built. To form another line of defense outside the inner gate, the enclosed space between the inner and outer gates is like a small city outside the big city. The "small city" is called the "barbican city". During the war, the Wengcheng provided excellent conditions for the defenders to detour from the enemy. Feng Shui practitioners used the Wengcheng to "avoid evil spirits". But very realistically, the Wengcheng was enough to shield the wind and dust from the suburbs. The Wengcheng system in China began in the Han Dynasty. There is no research on when the city first had an urn city. We only know that the lower east gate urn city was built in the fourth year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1509), and the north gate urn city was built in the 31st year of Jiajing (1552). In the eleventh year (1562), the city tower was updated. In the twenty-second year of Wanli (1594), "the three people who built the east and west barbicans all used bricks and stones." In the thirty-fifth year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1696), the south gate barbican was repaired. Forty In 1701, the upper east gate urn city was repaired. In the 42nd year of Kangxi (1703), the emperor's western 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 repair project was carried out. "Five gates in the east, west, north and west were built, and the foundations were still repaired, but the height of the south gate was increased by several feet." , created the existing regulations. Among the six ancient city gates, there are four east and west gates, facing each other. The heavy gates of the upper east gate, upper west gate and lower west gate all open to the south, facing the mountains and rivers in the distance, so that they can "take in the air"; the heavy gate of the lower east gate all opens to the south. The central axis of the 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.
Gateway: refers to the gatehouse 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 hillside corridor with three double eaves, two stories and seven purlins. In ancient or modern wars, the brick-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.
China’s first bank account has unique cultural value and rich cultural relics: The ancient city of Pingyao has a history of more than 2,700 years since its city building activities. During the long development process, a large number of cultural relics have been preserved. , high density and long span, it is a "big cultural relics county" within Shanxi Province, known as the "Treasure House of Chinese Ancient Architecture". The numerous cultural relics in the ancient city of Pingyao 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 aesthetic achievements of different ethnic groups and regions in ancient China.
The traditional cultural characteristics of the Han nation: The ancient city of Pingyao was 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 is important to study this The social form, economic structure, military defense, religious beliefs, traditional thoughts, ethics and morals and human settlement forms of a period have important reference value.
Complete ancient residential complex: 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 business. 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" 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. It once became the center of China's financial industry, manipulating and controlling China's modern finance. Industry.
Lamp", "Wang Xiang's Filial Mother", etc.