The Ancient City of Ping Yao

The history of Ping Yao stretches over 2700 years. Ping Yao was called the Ancient Tao before the Dynasties of Qin and Han. The county, also named Ping Yao, show records it was the manor of a tribal king in ancient China named Yao. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the county belonged to the Kingdom of Jin. The Warring States Period brought the city into the Kingdom of Zhao. The Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty each named the city Pingtao and Zhongdu county, respectively.
The original construction of the city dates back to the western Zhou Dynasty. Later the city underwent a renovation during the Ming Dynasty for defense purposes. Most of the original architecture remains intact and in good shape since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Ping Yao is located within the Shanxi province positioned 715 km south west from Beijing and 80 km from the provincial capital of Taiyan.
Ping Yao was the economic center of China during the late Qing Dynasty. At the time over half of China's financial institutions were located here. One of the institutions, Rishengcheng was the first draft bank in China. The financial reach of the traveled as far as New York and San Fransisco in America.
The city is now known for its well preserved ancient city walls. The wall encloses the city with a length of 64 kilometers. The wall reaches 12 meters high and 3 to 6 meters wide. There are six city gates that help contribute to the other name of the city. From the air, the city resembles the shape of a tortoise. Traditionally the tortoise is considered a symbol of longevity. Also along the wall there are 72 watchtowers and 3,000 external battlements. The watchtowers are to represent 72 people of great wisdom while the external battlements represent the 3,000 disciplines of Confucius.

Also nearby is the Dachengdian Temple. The only Confucius temple built in the Song Dynasty to be renovated later in 1163. There is a history of over 800 years in this temple.
In 1986, the Peoples Republic of China designated Ping Tao as a historic city. Ping Yao became a World Heritage Site in 1997 along with Zhenguo Temple and Shauanglin Temple.