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The ancient city of Pingyao
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The ancient city of Pingyao is almost
as old as the legends before the recorded history of Chinese
nationality. According to the Records of Pingyao County,
in the period of remote antiquity, Pingyao had been recorded
as Tao-Tang, the manor of Yao who was the king of a union
tribe in period of Fathers' Society of Chinese nationality.
This is why Pingyao was called the Ancient Tao before the
Dynasties of Qin and Han. We could calculate accordingly
that the history of Pingyao has been lasting for 4,000 years.
In period of Spring & Autumn, the Ancient Tao belongs
to the Jin Kingdom, and to the Zhao Kingdom later. The county
system replaced the manor system when the First Emperor
of Qin unified the whole county. The Ancient Tao was set
as the county location and changed name to Ping Tao. In
early Dynasty of Northern Wei, The Ping Tao was renamed
as Pingyao, to avoid the pronunciation Tao, because the
Emperor then was named as Tuo Ba Tao. From the Qin Dynasty
to now, then the name has been changeable somehow, but the
county level of Pingyao has never changed. So, we could
conclude that Pingyao as a county level city has been long
in existence for about 2,200 years. History of the city
wall of Pingyao is even longer. According to the historical
records, in the Dynasty of West Zhou, the King of Xuan dispatched
his general Mr.Yin Jie Fu fighting against invaders of other
nationalities. Mr. Yin stationed his troops in the Ancient
Tao, and constructed the defense walls, then which have
been about 2,800 years old. In early Ming Dynasty, started
by the year of 1370, for the military purpose the government
enlarged and reconstructed the city wall to the present
size. In later period of 500 years of Ming & Qing, the
wall had been reconstructed and repaired for 26 times with
basic style and size remained without changes. By now, the
magnificent general like wall has been standing there for
600 years through the war flames and natural corrosions.
The river flow onwards and the mountain still stands three,
but we can not help time by time recalling the sad past.
Glints and flash of the striking up swords and spears, and
flames and explosions of war all have become historical
things. Military function of the strong and high city wall
have been little useful. Now days, however, the old wall
carrying historical scars all over the body is days and
nights giving presentations to the later generations about
the changing dynasties and the events occurred in the past
thousand years. The ruined site, ancient county and old
wall of Pingyao by all means are a mini-photo and a witness
of the long standing history of China. This is true that
one can never help thinking of the historical and glorious
past of Pinyao in front of the great and grey colored city
wall.
The ancient civil structures can not only
directly reject the construction standards and the way of
living of human being in the ancient time, but also indirectly
tell people the ancient politics, economy, philosophy, ethics,
literature, art and even local customs. Through these old
structures, ruined walls and broken columns., as if we have
entered the ancient societies, walking in trade fairs, and
observing the smoking battles. In the long China's ancient
societies, the ancient city id Pingyao step by step became
a multitudinous, county-level city. The residents of Government
officials, Businessmen, farmers, soldiers and so on earlier
and later had built up their own houses,. Although these
housing structures were damaged or destroyed through the
seasons and years these are still 3,800 ancient houses in
existance in the ancient houses and courtyards, the Pingyao
is called as the collection civil structures. Also because
of the different status, different financial capabilities,
and different likings as will as the different families
reflected an economical but comfortable manner, as for those
of lower class families with limited means showed simplicities
and even shabby. Therefore, this rich and colorful collection
of the ancient civil structures are also a long and scrolled
paintings of historical sc4ense of China's social development.
These ancient civil houses of different hinds have provided
rich and excellent specimen for later generations to study
the historical structural style and construction techniqure.
The yard structures are ranging from the sole gate yard,
the multi-entrances yard, the passage yard, the principal
yard plus side yards to the combined yard; the houses were
structured differently with brick lined cave room plus frontly
extending rafter, brick layed wall with tiled roof, tiled
roof room above the care room, etc. And those tower gates
and yard entrance gates, those up & down roof structures,
and those changeable window structures all have displayed
that how these old civil structures as a whole have shown
the great ancient civilizations and creative mind of our
early generations. Swallows previously only staying in King's
courtyard now have landed on window frame of small family
houses. The ancient city of Pingyao was not the capital
city and the old residential houses inside neither were
imperial palaces. But in the glow of the setting sun, the
night scenery could arouse visitors thinking and sighing
in pitiful mood. The aged and dark grey color civilian structures
covered by heavy dusts is a valueable introduction mannal
of Chinese tradition and civilization.
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