Pingyao
/pʰíŋ.jǎʊ/noun
A historic walled city and county in Shanxi Province, China, renowned for its exceptionally preserved Ming- and Qing-era urban landscape.
Did you know?Pingyao’s surviving walls, banks, temples, and merchant residences made it a major center of China’s early finance, including the birthplace of the draft-bank system known as piaohao.
Etymological Timeline
Western Zhou tradition
Chinese
古陶 / Gǔtáo
“Traditional accounts associate the settlement’s earliest name with Gǔtáo, an ancient place-name connected with the area.”
221–206 BCE
Chinese
平陶 / Píngtáo
“Under the Qin administrative system, the county was known as Píngtáo.”
Northern Wei, 4th–6th centuries
Chinese
平遥 / Píngyáo
“The county name was changed from Píngtáo to Píngyáo; the characters are conventionally glossed as “peaceful/level” and “distant.””
Ming Dynasty, 14th–17th centuries
Chinese
平遥城
“The city’s major defensive walls and urban form developed into the walled commercial center largely visible today.”
Qing Dynasty, 17th–20th centuries
Chinese
平遥
“Píngyáo flourished as a merchant and financial center, especially through its piaohao draft banks.”
Modern English
English
Pingyao
“The standard English romanization of 平遥, commonly referring to both the historic city and its surrounding county.”