Pingyao, as a financial center of ancient China, is renowned for its well-preserved Ancient City Wall, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In ancient China, city walls were built to defend the cities, just like the Great Wall protecting the country. The extant Pingyao Ancient City Wall was constructed in 1370 in Ming Dynasty. The walls have six gates, whose pattern is similar to that of a turtle: The north and south sides have one gate each (the head and tail); the west and east sides have two gates each (four legs). Hence Pingyao got the moniker of ‘Turtle City’. In Chinese culture, turtle is considered as a symbol of longevity. The walls measure about 12m high, 8-12 m thick in bottom and 3-6m thick in top, with a perimeter of 6.4 km. Outside the city wall, there is a moat, 4m wide and 4m deep. There are 72 watchtowers distributed every 50m, and 3000 crenels, which was said to be designed based that Confucius has 72 sages and 3000 followers. There are also six gate towers, corner towers, and commanding platforms, which records the history.