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Street scene, Pingyao, ChinaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pingyao-oldtown.jpg
Author: Benzh
Author: Benzh
Pingyao is an ancient city in central Shanxi Province, China. It was the financial center of China during the Qing Dynasty. Pingyao follows the typical baqua pattern, is well preserved with a city layout that dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. The cityscape has also retained its historical appearance.
Pingyao was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 21st session of the World Heritage Committee in Naples, Italy, on 1-6 December, 1997.
During its heyday, Pingyao has 20 financial centres, or banks, half of all that is available in China. This includes the Rishengchang, said to be the first bank in China.
The city walls of Pingyao were put up by the Hongwu Emperor in 1370. It has six barbican gates. With one gate on the north and one to the south, and two each on the east and west, Pingyao looks like a turtle, hence its moniker, Turtle City.
The walls were further defended by a 4-meter wide moat. There were 72 watchtowers and 3,000 battlements. Like many major tourist attractions of China, Pingyao suffers from the pressure of controlling the number of tourists visiting it, which can reach three times the maximum daily capacity.
Medieval city wall of PingyaoSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PingYaoCityWall.jpg
Author: Peellden
Author: Peellden
Pingyao city towerSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PingYaoCity.jpg
Author: Peellden
Old city wall of Pingyao
Author: Peellden
Old city wall of PingyaoSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pingyao-2008-06-18-wall.jpg
Author: Mätes
Inscription Year: 1997
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, III, IV
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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.
Author: Mätes
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: N 37 12 05 E 112 09 16 in Ping Yao County, Shanxi Province, ChinaInscription Year: 1997
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, III, IV
Visiting Ancient City of Ping Yao
Your base for visiting Pingyao is the city of Taiyuan, which gets flights from major cities in China. From Taiyuan, Pingyao is still two hours away by train.Exploring Pingyao
Pingyao is best explored on foot.List of World Heritage Sites in Shanxi Province and World Heritage Sites in China
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Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road. Discover with Timothy
Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.Disclaimer
Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.Songs about Penang
About this website
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.
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