Pingyao Ancient City
Pingyao ancient city, which has been formally named as “World Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO , is a well-preserved ancient city in northern China. Pingyao ancient city is located in the middle of Shanxi province, about 650 kilometers away from Beijing. It is a famous cultural city with over 2 700 years of history.

Overlooking from the sky, you may find that the shape of the Pingyao ancient city is like that of a tortoise (¹ê). The ancient Chinese people worshipped tortoises, and regarded them as the symbol of longevity. Thus the way Pingyao was constructed carried the profound meaning of making this ancient city as firm as a rock and last forever.

All the streets, shops and residences are kept in the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The city walls divide Pingyao, a city with an area of around 2.25 square kilometers, into two completely different worlds. Outside the city walls is the new city with serried (ÃÜ¼¯µÄ) tall buildings.

Pingyao was a commercial center in northern China 300 to 600 years ago. Nowadays, this quadrangle-shaped structure is a “Museum of China’s Bank Draft” with over 20 exhibition rooms.

Such a famous ancient city certainly has its famous food and specialties. Pingyao Beef is one of the most famous snacks in Pingyao. It was said that the Empress Dowager Cixi spoke very highly of these snacks when she passed Pingyao and tasted the food.