Pingyao City Tower

Pingyao City Tower

Pingyao City Tower is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Qing Dynasty

Address: Located in the center of South Street, downtown Pingyao County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province.

The original construction date is unknown. It was rebuilt in the 27th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1688), and underwent renovations in the 22nd year of the Qianlong reign (1757), the 18th year of the Jiaqing reign (1813), the 9th year of the Tongzhi reign (1870), the 31st year of the Guangxu reign (1905), and the 3rd year of the Xuantong reign (1911). The City Tower is a three-tiered wooden pavilion structure, standing 18 meters tall with yellow and green glazed tile roofs in the hip-and-gable style. The ground floor has three bays in both width and depth, covering an area of 133.4 square meters. The layout is square-shaped, with a passageway running north-south and brick-and-stone platforms built on the east and west sides. Four corner pillars rise through to the roof, enclosed by brick walls. There is one arched gateway on each of the east and west sides, surrounded by corridors with three pillars at each corner. The beams between the pillars are connected by flat architraves and planks, adorned with brackets—one bracket per set in a “hemp leaf” design. The central bay features one set of bracket arms, while the balcony level uses five-curved layered brackets with two sets of bracket arms. The corner brackets feature paired “mandarin duck” interlocking arms. The drip tiles are long and narrow, with all brackets fully exposed. The second-floor balcony also features corridors, with partitioned doors at the front and back, internal flooring, and altars installed. The southern altar is dedicated to Guan Yu, the God of War, the northern one to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, with another altar for the God of Literature.

The roof is fitted with ceiling panels. On the upper tier, the brackets are seven-curved, with three sets of bracket arms, all similarly curved. The arrangement of corner and auxiliary brackets reflects unique techniques of the Qing Dynasty. The rooftop is covered with colorful glazed tiles, inlaid with exquisitely designed patterns of the character “Xi” (happiness) to the south and “Shou” (longevity) to the north. The City Tower is neither a religious nor a defensive structure, but rather a unique, high-rise public pavilion building in the city. For traffic convenience, in 1963, the flooring on the lower level of the tower was raised by over one meter.

Eleven stone stelae from the Qing Dynasty are preserved on the tower, along with one iron bell. Between 1990 and 1995, the tower underwent roof repairs, replacement of deteriorated components, and comprehensive repainting from top to bottom, giving it a completely renewed appearance.

In 1996, it was listed as a Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, and in 2013, it was included in the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units