Things to do & places to visit in Pingyao County, Shanxi, China

Pingyao County city in Shanxi, China. Timezone: Asia/Shanghai, current date and time: Monday, April 29, 2024, 21:26.

Pingyao County Weather Statistics view more »

Top things to do (10)

• Historic Sites
• History Museums
• Architectural Buildings
• Theaters
• Ancient Ruins
• Religious Sites
• Art Galleries
• Art Museums
• Speciality Museums
• Points of Interest & Landmarks

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

1. 5.0 Museum of Chinese "Xietongqing"Ancient Bank (8 reviews)
   - A must visit and the best bank sample to visit
   Speciality Museums
   
   
   There are three banks in Pingyao for visit. If you want to visit one, I recommend this one. This is not as famous as Risengchang Former Bank, but it's bigger and it has a basement. The only one you can go down to the basement to see the "gold" storage room. It's huge and massive. See more..
   
2. 4.5 Ancient City of Pingyao (1.370 reviews)
   - Peaceful. Beautiful and Fascinating
   Historic Sites
   
   
   Spent two days here with my colleagues. This amazingly well preserved Qing city is a visual spectacle. From the city walls you can see the order behind the apparent chaos as walking through it is easy to lose yourself. Dozens of museums, hundreds of historic buildings and years of history unfold before your eyes. At night red lanterns illuminate everything with a gentle glow. Stay in a boutique courtyard hotel, enjoy the local food, sample the locally produced drinking vinegar, shop till you drop and finish the day off at a bar. This place has it all. Couldn't recommend more highly. See more..
   
3. 4.5 City Wall of Pingyao (393 reviews)
   - Awesome ancient defensive walled-city
   Points of Interest & Landmarks
   
   
   The impressive, ancient 6.2 kilometres in length, and averaging 10 metres in height, wall around the city is estimated to have been built over the 827BC to 782BC period. Since the 14th century, this has been a city of the Chinese Han people. Inside the city walls, there are temples of Shuanglin and Zhenguo. There is a lot of history here, and since 1982, it has been protected by a number of Chinese laws, including, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics. The ancient city walls of China a very spectacular. Other than in size, this has many of the same characteristics as the ancient walls of Xi’an and Nanjing. See more..
   
4. 4.5 Ping Yao Temple of the City God (87 reviews)
   - Best temple in Pingyao
   Points of Interest & Landmarks
   
   
   It is probably the main highlight to visit in Pingyao. Quiet place if you want to escape the crowded Pingyao. See more..
   
5. 4.5 Ming and Qing Dynasties Street (46 reviews)
   - Ancient streets
   Historic Sites
   
   
   All the streets insides Pingyao ancient city are fascinating and worth a stroll, either during the day or at night. They are always busy, always full of people and the atmosphere is always exciting. Every shop front is a museum in itself and worth a photo stop. Strolling the streets is free, but you will need the Pingayo ancient own ticket to stop in any of the museums or temples en route. See more..
   
6. 4.5 Pingyao County Government Museum (36 reviews)
   - Fascinating place
   Monday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM History Museums
   
   
   The small entrance is deceptive of the large courtyards and building complex behind! Audio guides make the visit very enjoyable. These guides can be kept for the day and used on 17 or so of the refurbished buildings in Pingyao. Free admission for those over 60. See more..
   
7. 4.5 Xietongqing Unincorporated Bank Museum (30 reviews)
   - Fascinating site
   Speciality Museums
   
   
   Definitely a must see on the city tour ticket. Great architecture and decor to see and the vaults are unique in the city and not to be missed. More like a temple than a bank and well worth exploring. See more..
   
8. 4.5 Zhenguo Temple (29 reviews)
   - This is an undiscovered gem
   Religious Sites
   
   
   There's only one thing to see here: Wanfo (Ten Thousand Buddhas) Hall, the only surviving building of a once much-larger Buddhist monastery. But what a building it is! Built in 963, it's one of the oldest wood buildings in China, or in the world, for that matter. The architectural details---particularly the bracketing and eaves----are extraordinary. Inside is an ensemble fo eleven painted-clay Buddhist sculptures, also dating from the tenth century---both beautiful and intensely spiritual. Zhenguo is a short drive (12k) outside Pingyao and is surrounded by cornfields. It's completely off the tourist circuit. We were there for half an hour, and during that time only two other visitors dropped by. See more..
   
9. 4.5 Pingyao Old Town Jixiang Temple (10 reviews)
   - Look at your astrological Chinese animal !
   Religious Sites
   
   
   it is a nice taoist temple with an alley of astrological Chinese statues and you will probably find your own one. The temple has a few interesting building, one is depicting on a very crude way the hell and the punishments of bad people ! See more..
   
10. 4.5 No. Baichuan Pass site (5 reviews)
    - ศาลของเมือง
    Historic Sites
    
    
    มาชมอีกหนึ่งสถานที่ที่สำคัญของเมืองโบราณ Pingyao 平遥 นั่นก็คือศาลของเมืองไว้รับเรื่องร้องทุกข์และตัดสินคดีความต่างๆ ข้างๆจะมีกลองร้องทุกข์อยู่ See more..
    
11. 4.5 Shuanglin Temple Coloured Sculptures Art Gallery (4 reviews)
    - A beautiful Temple
    Art Galleries
    
    
    There is a certain delightful sameness to all these temples but this is one worth visiting. It's still active so expect to see worshippers and monks. See more..
    
12. 4.0 Qiao's Family Compound (Qiao Jia Dayuan) (258 reviews)
    - Beautiful ancient courtyard-house
    Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
    
    
    This 9,000 square metre, private residential compound was constructed in the last half of the 18th century. It has 313 room and 25 courtyards of varying sizes. The courtyards include a grand courtyard, five other large, and 19 smaller ones. Its most famous resident was Qiao Zhiyong (1818 to 1907), a famous Chinese financier of the 19th century. The Qing dynasty architecture, wooden carvings, brick and stone carvings, and many other features are spectacular. The compound is sometimes used in movie sets. The movie “Raise the Red Lantern” was filmed here. The property is now used as a folk culture museum of Qixian County See more..
    
13. 4.0 Rishengchang Former Bank (166 reviews)
    - You can bank on it..... one of the first banks
    Monday: 7:55 AM - 5:31 PM Historic Sites
    
    
    This former bank is now a museum to banking in Pingyao that was the banking capitol of China. At one point the bank had 33 branches. Banking center from 1823 to 1932 and introduced paper money in 1920. See more..
    
14. 4.0 Pingyao Confucian Temple (156 reviews)
    - Confucious say, .....
    Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
    
    
    Confuious practiced his way and educated many. He was born in 551 BC and lived until 479 BC. The temple is a holy space dedicated to his life and teachings. Beautiful facilities and gardens. See more..
    
15. 4.0 Shuanglin Temple (117 reviews)
    - Don't bicycle here unless you have a death wish!
    Religious Sites
    
    
    This temple has beautiful sculptures and is well worth the short trip from Pingyao. On the advice of Lonely Planet, we biked here--what a mistake! The distance is only 7 km, but you must bike along a major highway that is full of tractor-trailers. Not only did we fear for our lives, but the route was completely devoid of scenery. Highly recommend taking a taxi instead. See more..
    
16. 4.0 Pingyao Ancient Government Office (113 reviews)
    - Must see in Pingyao
    Ancient Ruins • Architectural Buildings
    
    
    Lots to see and do here. There's even daily shows (see photo) re-inacting an old Court Trial. Make sure you arrive early to get to the front for the best views. The Torture museum is also very interesting with, amongst others, a rare original photo showing a male Eunuch after his bits were removed (our Tour-Guide told us about this rare photo when we were in the Forbidden City in Beijing). See more..
    
17. 4.0 Gushi Tower (47 reviews)
    - Nice Photo Op
    Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
    
    
    It's basically a well preserved pagoda in the middle of town. Nice place to take a few photos and have a bite to eat since there were some interesting nearby restaurants. See more..
    
18. 4.0 North First Escort (21 reviews)
    - Great site
    Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
    
    
    Part of the combined ticket for all of ancient Pingyao, this complex of buildings and courtyards is well worth a stop as you wander through the narrow, bustling streets. See more..
    
19. 4.0 Chinese Chamber of Commerce Museum (20 reviews)
    - Very interesting
    Speciality Museums
    
    
    Although the exhibits here are not all that interesting, like everything else in Pingyao, it's really the buildings, the courtyards and the history that you come to experience. There's a lot of atmosphere and great architectural detail to soak up. See more..
    
20. 4.0 Museum of Chinese "Weishengchang"Ancient Bank (17 reviews)
    - My favorite - Top 3 in Pingyao
    Speciality Museums
    
    
    There are so many escort banks that it is easy to miss one because you have already seen too many. This is THE one to visit. Much larger than the others, it is also easy to miss the basement, which is very interesting. See more..
    
21. 4.0 Tianjixiang Museum (6 reviews)
    - Mansión tradicional con figuras a tamaño real
    Speciality Museums
    
    
    Mansión tradicional china con salas en torno a patios, algunas con figuras a tamaño real desempeñando el trabajo propio de una compañía mercantil. See more..
    
22. 4.0 SanJin JianZhi BoLanGuan (5 reviews)
    - Another Landmark in the city... It is a standout
    Speciality Museums
    
    
    This tower is another way to find this part of town with this tower that towers over this area of town. See more..
    
23. 4.0 China Ticket No Museum (1 review)
    Speciality Museums
    
    
    See more..
    
24. 3.5 China Escort Agency (27 reviews)
    - Worth a brief visit for the signs alone
    Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
    
    
    Some of the most amusing English language translations we saw in China. We visited early in the morning when the museum was quiet and we were able to tour quickly. The highlights were the weapons and furniture displays. If you have a half hour, stop in and check it out. See more..
    
25. 3.5 Qingxu Guan (22 reviews)
    - A neat temple but optional
    Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites
    
    
    I couldn't make it a must see but if you have time, and if you are interested in wood carving architecture, then you can visit this place. If you have seen other temples in Pingyao like Shuanglin Temple, Zengkuo Temple, and Temple of City God, then this is similar. The wooden carving is key point, highlight of the temple. 30 minutes at most should be sufficient. See more..
    
26. 3.5 Jinzhong Erlang Temple (13 reviews)
    - Immaculate Little Tao Shrine
    Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites
    
    
    The thing about Pingyao is that most tourists just wander up and down the main street of town, where all the tourist stalls are concentrated, and then you hear lots of complaints that the old town is just a 'tourist trap'. Yet on the 700 year old city walls you can wander for a kilometre at a stretch without seeing another tourist. Another way to have a more tranquil experience is to do a tour of Pingayo's Buddhist and Taoist shrines. They have some of the most delightful murals, carving and statues in the old town, and unless you are unlucky and your visit coincides with the arrival of a Chinese tour group, it should be a more relaxed, peaceful experience. This particular Taoist temple, with a number of different shrines and altars, is very well-preserved and maintained and makes for an enjoyable leisurely visit. Look out for the Taoist demons! See more..
    
27. 3.5 Performing Centre of Pingyao Grand Theater (9 reviews)
    - A very Professional & Fun Perfomance
    Spent 2-3 hours Theaters
    
    
    An unexpected high quality performance with a good mix of variety, from Dance, to Opera, Acrobats & Comedy. We really enjoyed this performance and I even got taken up onto the stage. An absolute must if you're in Pingyao Ancient City for a night or two. See more..
    
28. 3.5 Tongxinggong Escort Agency (8 reviews)
    - Mandatory Escort Agency
    Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
    
    
    One of the mandatory places to visit in Pingyao is one of the Escort Agencies. This is a necessary service in the old days when law and order does not cover the whole country and outlaws lie awaiting outside the city walls. The Performance "Youjian Pingyao" is based on the story of an escort agency, a chinese version of "Saving Private Ryan". See more..
    
29. 3.5 Ancient Dwellings Expo Garden (5 reviews)
    - Good example of Shanxi old style rich people's residence
    History Museums
    
    
    This place I would recommend for all the none Chinese reading travelers of Pingyao. This place I think had by far the best English descriptions of what its presenting, which is a standard rich people's home in Pingyao. The English is by no mean perfect, but it is by far more passable and understandable then other points of interest in Pingyao. Well worth a visit if you want to learn about the lives of the locals from centuries back. See more..
    
30. 3.5 Pingyao Lacquer Art Museums (5 reviews)
    - Nice lacquerware
    Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Art Museums
    
    
    Its interesting. But as always the shopping prevails now. The give to much attention to the shoppers. Sad, See more..