| |
|
| |
|
| China and Hong Kong Home » China Tourism » Major Attractions in China » Ancient Cities and Towns in China » Pingyao Old City in Shanxi
|
|
Pingyao Old City in Shanxi |
|
|
The Pingyao Old City in Shanxi is located in the Shanxi Province . This city was founded in the reign of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (C.1100-771B.C.) and has been considered as the county seat since the establishment of the prefecture-and-county system in ancient China . Even today, Pingyao retains the look almost same as that of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and is the most well preserved historic town in the regions populated by the Han group of China .
|
|
Pingyao Old city in Shanxi is famous globally mainly for three ancient appreciates: the historic large-brick city wall, the Zhenguo Temple , and the Shuanglin Temple .
- The historic large-brick city wall : The city wall of Pingyao was actually constructed with crushed soil and was rebuilt with bricks in 1370, which is the third consecutiuve year of reign of the Ming Dynasty. The city wall extends for six kilometers and attests to the unfathomed influence of Confucianism in this area. The disciples of Confucius are said to be represented by the 3,000 portholes on the wall and the 72 best disciples are corresponded by the 72 small watchtowers.
- The Zhenguo Temple : The Zhenguo Temple , located in the northeast corner of the city, is a construction which was built almost 1000 yrs ago, and the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas (Wanfo) is the third oldest subsisting wood building in China . The painted statues from the Five Dynasties inside the Wanfo Hall are numbered as precious works of sculptures.
- The Shuanglin Temple : The Shuanglin Temple , with its ten awesome historic halls, is located in the southwest part of the Pingyao Old City in Shanxi . It was reconstructed in the year 571 during the reign of Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577). This temple consists of more than 2,000 painted clay statues from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) through the Ming Dynasty and is known as the Treasure House of Painted Sculptures.
Moreover, in Pingyao, the Hall of Great Achievements in the Temple of Confucius and the Qingxu Temple originally constructed in 657 are evidences of great historical tradition.
On 3rd of December 1997, at the 21st sitting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, Pingyao was selected as one of the most important heritage site in the World Heritage List.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
