Pingyao

Pingyao: merchant courtyards and old-city New Year customs

Pingyao life sits among walls, draft banks, merchant homes and lanes. New Year lanterns, shehuo, opera and greetings turn the merchant city back into a communal festival space.

• Recognise the setting in which culture actually occurs — Observe courtyard thresholds, the link between shop and home, and how drums, lanterns and stages take over streets during festivals.
• Participate only where the setting clearly allows it — On ordinary days, read the city through draft banks, the yamen and open residences. Follow current schedules during New Year and do not mistake commercial shows for the only authentic custom.
• Separate residents’ lives, ritual and performance — Residents and ordinary businesses remain inside the walls. Keep quiet near homes early and late, and ask before photographing people or domestic scenes.

City sources

Use the original publishers to verify city context, local culture and scope.

• Shanxi draft banks and their confidentiality system — National Administration of State Secrets Protection
• Spring Festival and Lantern Festival in Jinzhong — Jinzhong Bureau of Culture and Tourism

Understand the city

Pingyao: merchant courtyards and old-city New Year customs

Region: Shanxi

Places to visit

• Ancient City of Pingyao — The Ancient City of Pingyao is a national 5A attraction and a major part of a World Heritage property. Its complete wall encloses…
• Pingyao Huiji Bridge — Pingyao Huiji Bridge is a Qing stone bridge across the Huiji River and a seventh-batch National Key Cultural Relics Protection Un…
• Shuanglin Temple — Shuanglin Temple stands in Qiaotou Village southwest of Pingyao’s walled city. It is a 4A attraction, a nationally protected site…
• Zhenguo Temple — Zhenguo Temple stands at Haodong Village northeast of Pingyao's walled town. It is a 4A attraction, a nationally protected monume…

Related industries and journeys

• Pingyao Beef Processing — Pingyao County beef processing, the geographical-indication standard and Jinzhong municipal governance
• Shanxi Architecture Route — Link merchant towns, southern Shanxi temples, Wutai and Datong across one of China’s richest architecture regions.