The Ancient City of Pingyao
平遙古城
自然概況
Pingyao is a small town in central Shanxi Province into whose history goes back 2700 years，when it was first built during the reign of King Xuan(827-782BC)of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Since the“Province and County System" by Emperor Qin in 221 BC，the city has been the county seat in all the times. Despite so many events or incidents, it survived practically as it was in the 600 years or more since Ming and Cling dynasties，and ranks as the only intact ancient city of Ming and Cling dynasties well preserved in China.
位于山西省中部的平遙古城是一座只有2700多年歷史的文化名城。平遙古城遙古城始建于西周宣王時期(前 827一前782）自公元前221年，秦實行“郡縣制”以來，平遙城一直是縣治所在地，一直延續至今。平遙古城歷盡滄桑，但自明清以來的六白多年間，平遙城市面積和布局基本末變，成為迄今為止國內保存最完整的一座明清時期的古代縣城.
The city wall stretches for about six kilometers.The town is protected by a city moat，both three meters deep and wide. Outside the city is a drawbridge.Witnin the city，four big streets and eight small streets radiate to join with 72 lanes.
平遙古城墻綿延約6公里。整個城市由4條深3米、寬3米的護城壕舊護，城門外面有一座吊橋。古城內，4條大街和8條小街縱橫交錯，連接著72條小巷。
Preserved in the ancient city are near 4000 traditional quadrangle residences of common people，over 400 of which are fairly intact， in addition to the few even more cherished houses of Ming Dynasty and those rare proto-types of Yuan Dynasty. These shelters are typical of northern China and Shanxi province，specifically with the following features:1.Perfect combination of cave dwelling and quadrangle courtyard; 2. Rectangle layout with an enclosed but elaborate space; 3.Mostly shed or flat roofed;4. Grand courtyard as a whole but elegant inside;5.Carefully observing Chinese geomancy as well as other customs.
平遙古城內現今保存有近4000處傳統的四合院民居，它們大多有百年以上的歷史，其中有400余處保存得相當完好，還有少部分為明代和罕見的元代民居，十分珍貴。這些民居具有典型的漢民族北方居民特點，又是三晉地區民居的典型代表，其特色表現在以下幾個方面：（1）是地上窯洞與四合院的完美結合；(2)有狹長的平面布局和封閉但極為卜富的院落空間；（3）屋頂多為單坡和平頂相結合;(4)民居l院落整體形態為外雄內秀; （5）民居中體現了豐富的中國傳統風水和其他民俗內容。
So many ancient houses，city walls，streets，lanes as well as other cultural sites of Ming and Qing Dynasties are so perfectly preserved in Pingyao City that it is really the only prototype found in areas of Han people in China.
平遙古城如此眾多的明清時明民居和古城墻，古街，古巷等其他古跡能完好地保存至今，是極為罕見、彌足珍貴的孤例。
In 1986，State Council announced the city as a state city of history and culture，and in December of 1997 UNESCO inscribed it on“World Heritage List" with their consideration that“The Ancient City of Ping Yao is an outstanding example of a Han Chinese city of the Ming and Qing Dynasties(14th一20th centuries)that has retained all its features to an exceptional degree and in doing so provides a remarkably complete picture of cultural，social，economic，and religious development during one of the most seminal periods of Chinese history.”
1986年，平遙古城被國務院公布為國家級歷史文化名城。1997年12月l被聯合國科教文組織列人《世界遺產名錄》，世界遺產委員會對其的評價是:平遙古城是中國漢民族城市在明清時期的杰出范例，平遙古城保存了其所有特征，而且在中國的歷史發展中，為人們展示了一幅非同尋常的文化、社會、經濟及宗教發展的完整畫卷。
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