Pingyao, the Walled City of Antiquity        2008-6-22 14:52:58

ll put up at a hotel near Ming Qing Jie also known as Nan Da Jie, the main downtown thoroughfare. This street has undergone major restoration and its attractions now include hotels offering traditional brick-oven beds, restaurants serving Pingyao's famous beef and shops hawking an astonishing array of art wares such as antiques, furniture, ancient coins Chinese paintings, jadeware, lacquerware and traditional folk clothing. In the old days, over 700 shops peppered this same street and several remain exactly as they have for centuries. On this lively street, just shouting to be climbed, is the 18.5m high Town Tower - the tallest structure in town. Don't start your ascent without your camera: you'll want to catch the view of inundating tiled roofs of the entire city when you reach the top. 

You can find many notable museums along Ming Qing Street. Tongxinggong Armed  Escort Company Museum offers an eye-opening insight into the significant role played by armed escorts in promoting commerce. The economic boom under the two dynasties meant a lot of cash moving from one area to the next. To thwart thieving hands, Pingyao's ever-resourceful and pragmatic merchants left their cash cows in the professional hands of security escorts. Wang Zhenqing, a martial arts exponent, set up the first armed escort firm to provide this crucial service, which was instrumental to the speedy development of Chinese trade.

The Temple of the City God  on Nan DaJie hails from the Northern Song dynasty. Visitors enter through a double-eave, triple-gate wooden archway. It has a theater hall, where one can catch operatic shows during the annual temple fair on May 27, with six large urns positioned to amplify the performer's voices. On the eastern end ofXi DaJie is Rishengchang , meaning "sunrise prosperity," China's first bank. What started out as a single businessman's efforts to safely manage the accounts of his widely spread company, became a private banking enterprise that caught on like wildfire - a similar phenomenon occurred in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. Now converted into a museum, the head office was on this same site during the Qing dynasty. There are 21 buildings surrounding three courtyards. On either side of the front yard are the counters, main banking activities were carried out in the middle courtyard house, which functioned as an exchange center.

OUTSIDE PINGYAO
Hop onto a motorcycle taxi to reach the best-preserved mansions outside Pingyao, the Qiao Family Courtyard House and the Wang Family Courtyard House.

The Qiao Family Courtyard House  was the home of a powerful trading family with significant commercial influence even beyond Shanxi, as they were in the trade sector, a nationwide business. It was in this mansion that award-winning Chinese director Zhang Yimou set interior scenes for his film Raise the Red Lantern. 

Located some 20km north of Pingyao, the compound is fortified behind a 10m high wall with battlements. A watchtower perches from each of the four corners. The main entrance opens east into a spacious compound that covers 8,724m2, with 313 rooms, six major courtyards and 20 smaller ones. An 80m passageway divides the complex into half. The inner courtyards and corridors follow the Chinese character for the words "double happiness" The roof styles are varied, from dramatically sloping to curved or terraced eaves. In classical Qing style, roof ridges are decorated with floral and fauna patterns. There are some 140 chimneys, each carrying a distinctive design. The Ancestral Temple of the Qiao Family  is found at the western end.

The original name of the manor was Zhai Zhong Tang, which roughly translates as "being fair in all dealings." The Qiao family's philosophy, "Descendants be righteous, brothers show mutual care so the family may prosper," is inscribed on each side of the main door. Besieged by invading forces, Empress Dowager Cixi passed through the manor while escaping Beijing for Xi'an. The Qjao family gave her money and as a token of her appreciation, Empress Cixi issued an imperial edict to send the Qiaos an inscription, which now hangs above the main gate. Beyond the gate is a screen wall on which is carved Chinese characters evoking the theme of longevity. In 1937, when Japanese troops invaded China, the  Qiao family fled this residence forever.
 
The Wang Family Courtyard House was the Wang clan's private residence and is four times larger than Qiao's, with 54 courtyards and 1,052 rooms. The mansion took more than halfa century to build and is located on a hilly area. This rambling complex was home to the first Wang family in 1312. The Wangs had a rags-to-riches story, starting out as farmers and bean curd sellers, before entering business and politics. Some 300 family members later became officials.

The interior is divided into three complexes, the East Courtyards  is  spread over terraces on the mountain terrair and includes 13 cave dwel