Pingyao Ancient Town and Pingyao Ancient Town Walls [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] are of course the main attractions. Other Pingyao area attractions include the trade and finance houses of the distinguished families of the area, including: Rishengchang Draft Bank; Cao Family Courtyard in the village of Beiguang, Taigu County, about 30 kilometers northeast of Pingyao; Chang Family Courtyard, the largest of the Jin Merchant compounds in the country, though today it is only one quarter of its original size ("Jin" being an ancient name for Shanxi Province, and note that the Jin and the Hui (the latter being short for "Huizhou", Anhui Province) Merchants were the largest and wealthiest merchant clans in China)... the Chang Family Courtyard is located in the town of Dongyang, Jinzhong City, about 40 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan; the Qiao Family Courtyard located in Qi County, approximately 30 kilometers north of Pingyao (note that the Qiao Family Courtyard was the shooting venue for the Zhang Yimou film, Raise the Red Lantern); the Qu Family Courtyard located about 15 kilometers northeast of Pingyao, just beyond Zhenguo Temple; and Wang Family Courtyard, located near the town of Lingshi, about 35 kilometers southwest of Pingyao [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
Of these many merchant family courtyards, the Wang Family Courtyard is the best preserved, though they are all worth a visit, and each is distinctly different, as one would expect of wealthy merchants who did not wish to copy each other but rather, wished to make a status statement by means of the uniqueness of their own family courtyard [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. These merchant family courtyards were a work in progress that spanned several generations.
Other interesting sites to visit in the Pingyao area include: Pingyao Confucian Temple in Pingyao Ancient Town [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; Shuanglin Temple in the village of Xiaqiao Tou, about 6 kilometers southwest of Pingyao; Zishou Temple in the town of Lingshi, about 35 kilometers southwest of Pingyao; and Zhenguosi Temple (alternatively Zhenguo Temple), located about 12 kilometers northeast of Pingyao and not far from the Qu Family Courtyard.
Of these many merchant family courtyards, the Wang Family Courtyard is the best preserved, though they are all worth a visit, and each is distinctly different, as one would expect of wealthy merchants who did not wish to copy each other but rather, wished to make a status statement by means of the uniqueness of their own family courtyard [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. These merchant family courtyards were a work in progress that spanned several generations.
Other interesting sites to visit in the Pingyao area include: Pingyao Confucian Temple in Pingyao Ancient Town [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]; Shuanglin Temple in the village of Xiaqiao Tou, about 6 kilometers southwest of Pingyao; Zishou Temple in the town of Lingshi, about 35 kilometers southwest of Pingyao; and Zhenguosi Temple (alternatively Zhenguo Temple), located about 12 kilometers northeast of Pingyao and not far from the Qu Family Courtyard.