Pingyao City Walls

En un regard

Le château en bref

Pingyao, in Shanxi province, is one of the best-preserved ancient towns in China, and its wall is its first treasure. The present enclosure was raised in 1370, under the first Ming emperor, Hongwu, on the site of much older defences: tradition traces the town back to King Xuan of Zhou in the 9th century BC. About 6 kilometres long and some twelve metres high, the rammed-earth wall faced with brick and stone opens through six gates: one to the north, one to the south, two to the east and two to the west. Seen from above, this layout recalls a turtle, with its head, tail and four legs – a symbol of longevity that earned Pingyao the nickname "Turtle City". Seventy-two watchtowers and some three thousand crenellations line the wall-walk, and a moat surrounds the whole. Behind these walls a great banking centre grew up in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose exchange houses and courtyard homes remain intact. The old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.