   | On May 16th, 2014, Barry Wilson will visit the ancient city of Pingyao. Pingyao is a county in central Shaanxi province, prc. It is a famous historic cultural city, renowned for its well-preserved ancient city wall and it is a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. Founded in the 14th century, Ancient city of Ping Yao is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city. Its urban fabric shows the evolution of architectural styles and town planning in Imperial China over five centuries. Of special interest are the imposing buildings associated with banking, for which Ping Yao was the major centre for the whole of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Recent years, due to the policy of ‘golden week’ in China, Increases in tourism have put pressure on the ancient city of Pingyao. During the tourist high-season, the amount of visitors to the city can reach up to 3 times its maximum capacity per day. Since 2007, non-profit organization Global Heritage Fund (GHF) has been working with the Pingyao County Government to protect the city against various problems such as mass tourism and uncontrolled development. Further Reading Official Website: http://www.pingyao.cc/EN/aboutpingyao/index.asp UNESCO: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/812 Video: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/812/video Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pingyao_County |
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