Travel
15:52, 31-May-2018
Pingyao: China’s ancient Wall Street
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An entire city, enclosed by walls, ensnared in time. This is the Ancient City of Pingyao, founded in the 14th century and once the financial center of Imperial China. In 1997, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Pingyao is situated in central Shanxi Province, 715km southwest of Beijing. It’s famed for its well-preserved Ming and Qing dynasties' urban planning and architecture, and for its reputation as the old “Wall Street” of China.
At its historical peak, the prosperous city was home to the headquarters of more than 20 financial institutions, comprising more than half of the entire country. It was where China’s first draft bank was established.
Today, relics of its glorious past endure, remarkably intact – underground vaults, imposing towers, elegant courtyards – a precious chapter of antiquity kept alive by locals still living under its roofs, impervious to the madness of modernity.
“China’s Ancient Wall Street” will be aired for the first time on CGTN this Sunday at 7:30 a.m. BJT, rebroadcast at 4:30 p.m., Monday 2 a.m. and Thursday 1:30 p.m. Don’t miss this brand new episode of Travelogue in Pingyao with Min-Zhui Lee.