Site Significance
Pingyao Ancient City is considered to be the first banking capital of China. At its zenith in the late Qing Dynasty, there were as many as 22 draft banks in the city, with more than 400 branches countrywide. Pingyao is well-connected to Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi, by highways. Located about 100 km from Taiyuan, Pingyao is only an hour's flight from Beijing and a two-hour flight from Shanghai; and the train station is only 200 meters away from the Ancient City. Pingyao Ancient City was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1997 for its exceptional preservation of an intact, classic Han Chinese city from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). There are close to 4,000 Ming and Qing era courtyard buildings, along with numerous historic sites, temples and institutions such as China's first bank, Rishengchang and the historic city wall.

Threats
• Poverty
• Neglect
• Lack of resources
• Mass tourism
• Uncontrolled development

Project Goals
The Pingyao County Government and Global Heritage Fund are undertaking a collaborative effort to better preserve the cultural heritage of Pingyao ancient city in more comprehensive and systematic approaches as part of an integrated planning, conservation and development program. The Pingyao Cultural Heritage Development Program aims to preserve the vernacular architecture, revitalize and stimulate the traditional arts and establish special historic areas.

Planning
A Master Conservation Plan is in preparation by Shanghai Tongji University and has been approved by a 17-member expert panel review that took place in Jan 2009. Upon completion, the Master Conservation Plan will be presented to the Pingyao government for implementation.

Conservation Science
Working with the Pingyao County Government along with academic and research institutions, GHF is supporting a comprehensive survey of the tangible and intangible cultural resources in Pingyao. This thorough survey will inform and enrich the Heritage Development Program and identify appropriate adaptive reuse of the historic buildings. The data collected will contribute to the development of a comprehensive and informed interpretation plan. Upon completion of this survey, a pilot courtyard restoration project will be conducted, and the completed pilot courtyard will be used as GHF field office and community center where classes on local history, traditional building crafts, conservation techniques, etc. will be held. During the restoration, traditional materials and techniques will be employed and carefully documented, and the results from this pilot project will serve to inform the rehabilitation of other courtyards.

Community
The Heritage Development Program will support training for the remaining skilled craftspeople and artisans to pass on and preserve Pingyao's unique living heritage of arts, crafts, cuisines and performing arts to the next generation through apprenticeships. A selection of restored courtyards will serve as a venue where creation of traditional arts and specialty products and participation and observation by visitors is possible; community classes will also be conducted at the restored courtyards. This integrated, sustainable program addresses the economic imbalance of the current tourism landscape and preserves the last remaining endangered historic courtyards and living arts and cultural heritage, thereby realizing and sustaining the authenticity and character of Pingyao Ancient City.

Project Partnerships
Pingyao County People's Government
Shanghai Tongji University, Urban Planning and Design Institute

Updates
• Completion of documentation and conservation plans for two courtyard houses.

• Restoration underway for pilot courtyard.

• Documentation completed for all courtyards in a selected historic district, Fanjia Jie.

• Creation of a searchable digital database that contains updated information on the traditional courtyards.

• Four-day workshop on conservation techniques, led by GHF Director of Conservation John Hurd and China Program Manager Kuanghan Li, for 40-60 staff from the Pingyao Planning, Cultural Heritage and Tourism bureaus.

• Completion of master conservation plan and management plan.

• Installation of Pingyao-GHF collaborative field office.

Read the 2008 Pingyao Progress Report