Must see attractions in Pingyao

This fascinating Buddhist temple houses many incredibly rare, sublimely carved Tang, Song and Yuan painted statues. Rebuilt in 1571, it’s a mesmerising…

A good place to start your Pingyao experience is the magnificent city walls; they date from 1370 and are among the most complete in the nation. At 10m…

With vertiginous and dizzying cliffs alongside a deep gorge, this astonishing mountain area is a splendid day trip from Pingyao. Lined with precariously…

More castle than cosy home, this grand Qing dynasty former merchant's residence has been very well maintained (note the wooden galleries fronting many of…

While not as famous as Shuanglin Temple, Zhenguo Temple also houses a magnificent collection of old halls and ancient statues. Don't miss the still-living…

Within the venerable halls of this astonishing temple, first raised in the Song dynasty, are some intriguing frescoes, including the hall at the very rear…

An abandoned diesel engine factory is now a cinema-restaurant-souvenir shop complex, and the venue of the Pingyao International Film Festival. There's an…

Not to be missed, this museum began life as a humble dye shop in the late 18th century before its tremendous success as a business saw it transform into…

Pingyao’s oldest surviving building is Dacheng Hall (大成殿, Dàchéng Diàn), dating from 1163. It can be found in the Confucius Temple, a huge complex where…

This incongruously socialist-era concrete building houses one of the last operating cinemas from the 1960s in China. The building has recently been…

This graceful 10-hall Taoist temple at the end of Dong Dajie dates to the Tang dynasty. The most valuable relics here are the stone carvings and the stone…

This is the signature structure standing proud above Pingyao, the tallest building in the old town – snap a photo before passing under it en route to…

This network of defence tunnels stretching underground for 10km, are estimated to be 1400 years old and believed to be the longest of their kind in China…

Located close to the Confucius Temple is this magnificent glazed-tile screen wall featuring reliefs of nine different Chinese dragons. It was originally…

First established in 1856, this former bank had underground vaults protected by live-in guards. After checking out the courtyard displays, descend into…

With a white marble statue of the Virgin Mary outside, this historic, if dilapidated, church is the focal point for Pingyao’s band of Catholics. There's a…

By the police station, this is one of Pingyao's socialist-era buildings, home to a fire engine small enough to service the narrow streets of the town. You…