Ping Yao

China's Best-Preserved Ancient Walled City

Pingyao is a UNESCO World Heritage city whose Ming-dynasty walls, merchant courtyard houses, and cobblestone streets have remained almost entirely intact for 600 years. Once the financial capital of Qing-dynasty China — home to the country's first banks and remote-payment system — it now offers travellers an immersive walk through imperial China without the crowds of Beijing or Xi'an.

Flavour Profile

🍋 Sour🥘 Savory

Best time to visit

🗓 April-May, September-October

Province

📍 Shanxi

Tier

Hidden Gem

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What to Eat in Pingyao

🥩

Pingyao Beef

平遥牛肉

Air-dried and slow-braised beef, a Ming dynasty curing tradition

🍜

Bowl Cake

碗托

Buckwheat noodle cakes eaten cold with vinegar, chilli oil, and garlic

Explore Pingyao by theme

🏯HistoryExplore 🏮CultureExplore 💎Hidden Gems1 highlight

Highlights

Rishengchang Exchange Shop

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A former dye shop turned into the world's first draft bank in 1823, letting merchants transfer money across China without carrying silver. Its unassuming courtyard building is now a museum on the birth of modern Chinese finance.