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Pingyao Historic City and Qiao Family Courtyard Zhang

Pingyao was formerly known as Gutao
(古陶, meaning “Ancient Pottery”). During
the Spring and Autumn Period (770‒476
BCE), it belonged to the Jin State; and in the
Warring States Period (475‒221 BCE), it
belonged to the Zhao State. In the Qin dynasty
(221‒206 BCE), it was established as Pingtao
(平陶) County, and renamed as Zhongdu (中
都) County in the Han dynasty (206 BCE‒220
CE). To avoid the sacred taboo of Emperor
Taiwu (太武帝) in the Northern Wei dynasty
(386‒534) whose name was Tuo Batao (拓跋
焘 ), Pingtao was renamed as Pingyao.
Thereafter, its name has remained so for the
[1, 2, 4, 6]
Figure 1. Pingyao Historic City Map. Source: Photo last 1,500 years .
by the author, 2017 Ancient Chinese ritual system stipulates
that the imperial city where the emperor
resides should be 9 square lǐ, the city of dukes
should be 7 square lǐ, the city of marquis and
earls should be 5 square lǐ, and the city of
viscounts should be 3 square lǐ. Pingyao Old
City is 3 square lǐ, that is, each side is 3 hualǐ
in length, which has obviously followed the
norms of the county-level city wall, and
which is also the largest county-level city in
China. As the most complete original urban
form of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Pingyao
Historic City is a living example for studying

the development and transformation of
Figure 2. Pingyao city wall and the alley inside. Source: Chinese cities and human habitation [4, 6] .
Photo by the author, 2017
Pingyao City, like other old cities in
In 1997, Pingyao became a UNESCO China, was originally built as a defense
World Heritage Site, ascribed with the facility to protect the ruling class. The city
wall was erected during the King Xuan of the
following statement: “Ping Yao is an Western Zhou (c. 862‒782 BCE) by General
exceptionally well-preserved example of a
Han Chinese city founded in the 14th century Yin Jifu (尹吉甫), so it has a history of more
and occupied continuously since that time than 2,700 years. The city was last expanded
which has undergone no radical changes in to the west and north in the 3rd year of
1 [4]
form or material since the 19th century” . Hongwu (洪武) (1370), from the original “9
Moreover, in 2009, Pingyao was awarded the lǐ and 18 steps” to “12 lǐ and 18.4 lí” (6.4 km),
most complete historic county in China by the and the original rammed-earth city wall was
World Record Association. covered with bricks and stones to become a
masonry wall. In the 43rd year of Kangxi (康

1 Shanxi Pingyao Historic City (山西平遥古城) is one of the two such cities in China that has been successfully
declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/812), and the other is Yunnan Lijiang
Historic City (云南丽江古城). Shanxi Pingyao Historic City is also one of the four best-preserved historic
Chinese cities, the other three are Anhui Huizhou/Shexian Historic City (安徽徽州/歙县古城), Sichuan
Langzhong Historic City (四川阆中古城), and Yunnan Lijiang Historic City.

AccScience Publishing 3