Things to Do in Pingyao

The Shuanglin Temple is a large Buddhist temple, located in the Qiaotou village in the Shanxi province. It is one of the most important cultural monuments of Pingyao and is reputed to be the ‘Ancient painted sculptures museum’. Built in the 6th century, the temple currently houses over 2,000 clay sculptures depicting the incredible skills of the artisans of different dynasties. Theses sculpted figures are displayed in 10 different halls and these 10 halls are arranged within 3 courtyards. The temple was earlier known as the Zhongdu temple but later got its current name from a Buddhist folk tale. In 1997, UNESCO listed the Shuanglin temple as a World Heritage Site. Highlights and must sees include:

• Hall of the Devas – Sculptures of Vajrapani and the Four Heavenly Kings on display.
• Arhat Hall – 18 sculptures with amicable facial expressions.
• Hall of a 1000 Buddhas.
• Bodhisatva Hall – The famous sculpture of 1000 handed Kwan-yin is kept here.
• Sakyamuni Hall – Sculptures depicting the tales of Sakyamuni.

The City Wall of Pingyao was built in 827 B.C. to prevent the Pingyao city from any invasion. Since then, the wall has gone through repairs and renovations about 26 times and stands now in an excellent condition. The wall is 12 meters high and 3-6 meters wide on top, and runs for a total length for around 6 kilometres. Built with rammed earth inside and brick and stone outside, the wall resembles a tortoise when looked from a bird’s eye view. Traditionally, the tortoise was considered to be a symbol of longevity, so the wall was built with the hopes that it’ll keep the ancient city permanently secure. There are 6 city gates, one each on the northern and southern walls, and two each on the western and eastern walls. There are 72 watchtowers on the top of city wall and 3,000 external battlements; it is believed that they represent the 72 people of great wisdom and 3,000 disciples of Confucius. Highlights and must sees include:

• Traditional pavilion on the wall
• Old defending arms
• The Hanging bridges

The Qiao Family compound is located in the central part of the Qiao town in Shanxi province. Spread over an area of over two acres, the compound is huge and castle-like. It served as Qiao Zhiyong’s (The Qiao family third-generation commercial tycoon’s) former residence. The compound consists of 6 main courtyards and 20 smaller courtyards around. There are more than 300 rooms and several gardens linked together around these courtyards. The interiors are fabulously furnished and the structure looks majestic and heavily fortified from outside. Highlights and must sees include:

• Qixian Folk Museum, with more than 5,000 pieces of ancient chinese relics on display.
• Luxurious furniture
• Brick and Wood carving
• Exquisite patterns on the doors, windows, stairs and balustrades
• Beautiful Gold Murals under each eave of the compound
• The ‘Ren zhou yi fu’ tablet and the ‘Fu zhong lang huan’ tablet
• 10 meter high Parapet walls

This is a luxurious residential site, built in the 18th century. It is 35 kilometres from Pingyao. What was once the residence of the Wang family in the past is now a museum of architectural art. The compound is huge. It covers an area of 150,000 square metres. It is like a complete village in itself- an old township on display to explain how the lifestyle used to be in the olden times. The place has been divided into two parts- the East courtyard and the West Courtyard. The structure of the buildings is complex. You will feel like you are walking through a labyrinth. At the same time you can observe and appreciate the intricate details in the Qing Dynasty architecture. Highlights include:

• Sculptures of Stone, Wood and Brick
• Private School Yards
• Wang Family items
• The Painting and Calligraphy Hall
• The Treasury hall
• The Red Gate Castle

Pingyao Ancient Government office (also known as Gu Xianya) is a well-preserved structure that functioned as a government office and a court for civil disputes. Spread over an area of more than 26,000 square meters, the compound consists of an executive office, a tax office, a trial hall and a prison. It also has a hall dedicated to Buddha worshipers. The building is laid out in such an order that each new layer represents a higher level of importance until you reach the private area that served as the Judges residence, followed by a small garden to rest. It is an excellent site for people to discover what an ancient Chinese local government functioned like. Highlights and must sees include:

• The Daily shows re-enacting an old court trial on a civil dispute
• The Torture museum

The Pingyao Confucian Temple, located in the Ancient city of Pingyao of Shanxi province, was built in the Zhenguan era of the Tang dynasty. This temple has one of the longest histories among all the currently existing Confucian temples in China. The original temple was not built as a memorial temple, but rather served as a family temple of Confucius himself. The compound has been blessed with a sophisticated layout, which helped it earned the title of the ‘Little Forbidden City’. Highlights and must sees include:

• Kuixing Hall – Dedicated to the Chinese holy guard of students.
• Wenchang Hall - Dedicated to the Chinese God of Literature.
• Lingxing Hall - Dedicated to the Chinese God in charge of Harvest.
• Dacheng Hall – The statue of Confucius and his achievements on display here.
• Rainbow Bridge
• Pan Bridge (also known as the Zhuangyuan bridge).

This is a village-themed pub. It is located on the Pingyao bar street. Young people can be seen working on their laptops as they sip cappuccinos. They call it the Starbucks of China. You will also meet fellow tourists, mostly westerners who come here because of the variety of food and beer that is served. Both the food and the music here, have a global taste. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The staff members are very friendly and helpful. Highlights and must sees include:

• The Beverages- both alcoholic and non-alcoholic
• The Western Decor
• The Italian appetizers and desserts
• The Dance floor
• The Breakfast
• Chinese Jazz music
• The local coffee
• Free WiFi

The Temple of the City God, also known as the Cheng Huang Temple amongst the locals, is one of the most well preserved temples in the country. Spread over an area of 7,302 square meters, the temple is built facing the south. The temple exhibits exquisite woodcarvings, stone sculptures and mural paintings. It is believed that the Hall of City God served as the court to the gods, a large statue of the City God sits in the centre of the Hall surrounded by the statues of judges and ghost guards. It is a typical Taoist structure, where it was not only designed to serve as a temple but also as a government office. The temple offers a remarkable combined culture of Buddhism, Taoism and the residential customs combined. Highlights and must sees include:

• Caishen Temple – Dedicated to the Chinese God in charge of fortune.
• Zaojun Temple – Dedicated to the Chinese God in charge of food.
• Spectacular roofs, adorned with coloured glaze of blue and green.

Chang Family Compound was constructed in Qing Dynasty and is one of the largest family compounds of Shanxi merchants. The members of Chang Family were intellectuals and skilled businessmen, who traded mainly with Russia. The family consisted not only of scholars, but also of painters and calligraphers, which made the compound look more attractive. The architecture of the compound is mainly traditional but it also incorporated other architectural styles into the design. In every layer of the compound are various sculptures, which have inscriptions of flowers, verses and adages. Highlights and must see includes:

• White stone arch bridge
• 100 acres garden
• Brick, wooden and stone sculptures
• Stone Lions
• Brick Sculptured walls

Pingyao County Government Museum was built in 1346, during the Yuan Dynasty, but was reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty leaving only one building from the Yuan Dynasty. The place was dedicated to the government since Qing Dynasty with over 300 rooms and has conserved the offices and rooms of the judges, mayors and magistrates. The place puts up an evening show performed by the local actors everyday, which enacts an old court trial. Highlights and must see includes:

• The chess Pavilion
• An archway
• Ceremonial Gate
• A prison
• A Court
• Meeting rooms

Zhenguo temple is an ancient Buddhist temple located in the northeast of Pingyao County. Spread over an area of around 2.7 acres, the temple was constructed in 963 A.D. during the Northern Han Dynasty. The temple has undergone several restorations and renovations over the period of history and currently stands as an important part of Pingyao world heritage. The temple is divided into two parts: the front part and the back part. The temple compound offers a space of tranquillity and serenity, where you can indulge in the spiritual as well as the cultural aspects of the site. Highlights and must sees include:

• The Tianwang Hall
• Wanfo Hall
• Sanfo Hall
• Guanyin Hall
• Dizang Hall
• Bell tower
• Drum tower
• The Ten-Thousand-Buddha Hall
• The Temple of Wealth

Ming Qing Street, located on the South Street of Pingyao Old Town, was founded in the year of 1856 and started running its business in the year 1913. It is also known as the Wall Street of China, which focused on the trade and national finance for decades since Ming Dynasty. The Ming Qing Street is famous for its architecture and the antique shops. The place is not just a business centre, but it holds on the soul of historical and cultural relics of the town. Highlights and must see includes:

• Local residents houses of the famous Shanxi.
• The streets are made of Ming and Qing Architecture.
• Baichuantong Exchange shop
• Antique Shops
• National Lacquer Museum
• Traditional Chinese food restaurant
• Golden well building

Xietongqing Unincorporated Bank Museum, located on the south street of Pingyao County, was the first bank of China. It played a great role in Asian Banking. The Bank has many rooms set up in dummies to give the visitors a feel how it used to work during that era. The place is very informative and talks about the history of banking in ancient times. It has numerous financial houses, offering bank drafts; storage of silver coins and money transfer facility during that period. Highlights and must see includes:

• Old bank vaults
• Old construction of building
• A piece of Gold can be bought

Rishengchang Exchange House is located on the west main street; here Shanxi Merchants developed trade throughout China and with foreign countries. The first exchange house “piaohao” was started in 1823 and it was named Rishengchang, which extended the branches to different cities in China and abroad. The place then became the headquarters of banking industry having half of the headquarters of Piahao within the Pingyao’s walls. The place collapsed in 1932, after surviving for 108 years and was later rebuilt. Rishengchang also introduced the “watermark” method, which was world’s most famous and advanced printing technology of that time. Highlights and must see includes:

• Headquarters of banking
• Ancient Architecture

Qu Family Compound was built during the Qing Dynasty and covers an area of 5300 square meters (which surprisingly, is not even half of the Qu Family’s property). The compound has several layers and as you enter you will find that each layer becomes wider and the entrance gate much bigger than the previous one, which is because the Qu Family thought that the special people come ahead by walking from the low to the high and from narrow to the wide. The open-mouthed beasts exemplifies that the government fed them and they were dependent on them. You will also find the quote “Be Cautious of Your tongue” everywhere in the compound because the family believed that all businessmen face the troubles because of his tongue and also they wanted the coming generations to speak less and work more. Highlights and must see includes:

• Five layers of courtyard
• Japanese observation post on the roof
• Changyuchuan Teahouse
• Carvings beasts crouching on the roofs
• Theatre