The First Escort Agency of North China

The First Escort Agency of North China

China’s first escort agency was the “Xinglong Escort Agency,” founded outside the gate of Shuntian Prefecture in Beijing by our fellow Shanxi native, the invincible martial artist Zhang Heiwu. Other historically renowned agencies include the “Tongxinggong Escort Agency” established by Wang Zhengqing from Pingyao County, the “Tai Fen Escort Agency” by Dai Erlü from Qixian County, and the “Changlong Escort Agency” by Zuo Erba from Wenshui — all enjoyed great fame. Shanxi people founded both the greatest number and the earliest escort agencies.

The six major types of cargo escorted by these agencies were:

Letter escorts, silver escorts, promissory note escorts, grain escorts, goods escorts, and personal security escorts.

In the past, escort agency personnel were all martial artists, so weapons were essential.

For example, these are the traditional Eighteen Arms of Wushu.

This is the famous Fangtian Huaji (Halberd) used by Lü Bu. The most vicious weapon is the Heart-Piercing Claw. The heaviest is the Eight-Ridged Hammer used by Li Yuanba. It looks quite nice, but it’s actually the least effective weapon — known as the Showy Long Spear. There’s also Guan Yu’s Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Take a look at the structure of the word “镖” (escort): the left part “钅” (metal radical) represents the Eighteen Arms, while the right part “票” (ticket) stands for the money from the banking houses. In other words, it means using force to protect wealth. Its function is similar to that of modern security companies. The yellow background represents the Loess Plateau, as Shanxi — home to China’s first escort agency — is located there. Blue symbolizes water and continuous prosperity. Red, representing fire in the Five Elements, signifies the hope for a thriving and prosperous business.

So-called escort agencies hired martial artists from society, who were referred to in the martial world as “escort masters.” Their main job was to help banking houses escort silver. There were two main routes for escorting: waterways and land routes. Since Shanxi is on the Loess Plateau, only land routes were used. This wheelbarrow was the transportation vehicle of the time — the escort cart. An indispensable item on the escort cart was this small flag — the escort banner. When escorting valuables, robbers would often appear along the way. Before attacking, they’d take a look at the small banner. If the convoy was guarded by a formidable master, they’d hesitate out of fear and not dare to strike. Over time, this banner became the symbol of an escort mission.

You can see the three small escort banners above, representing Wang Zhengqing from Pingyao, Dai Erlü from Qixian, and Zuo Erba from Wenshui. Each of these three masters had their own specialties and contributed to the development of martial arts in Shanxi. There was a saying at the time: “The Wang family’s spear, the Dai family’s fist, and the Zuo family’s leg techniques are unmatched under heaven. Backed by Emperor Daoguang, they were invincible.” Among the three banners, only Zuo’s is yellow. As for the origin of the yellow banner, that will be explained further in the exhibition hall.

Guest Rooms:

Traditional Chinese architecture considers the left side as the more honorable position, so the left side was designated as guest rooms — in those days, it was where guests would come to smoke opium. Only businessmen were allowed to smoke opium (since martial artists in the escort agencies were prohibited from it). Getting guests high and muddled made business deals easier — much like how we treat clients to meals (and drinks) nowadays. As the saying goes: “Harming others without harming oneself.”

Take a look at this calligraphy piece: “The Four Famous Mountains Are Good.” The so-called Four Famous Mountains refer to Golden Mountain, Silver Mountain, Mount Tai, and Mount Liang. But in real life, “Golden Mountain” and “Silver Mountain” don’t exist — they refer to yellow wine and white liquor. It means when guests arrive, they should be treated with wine. Friends should be valued as much as Mount Tai, and one must uphold brotherhood and righteousness like the heroes of Mount Liang. As Wang Zhengqing’s son, Wang Shumao, once said: “When friends meet, there are golden and silver mountains; we regard friends as high as Mount Tai; when we gather at Mount Liang, we have all four famous mountains.”

Accounting Office:

Equivalent to today’s finance department. In the past, not just anyone could be an accountant — they had to be proficient in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Look at this abacus — it has one unique feature: a small wooden board nailed underneath, symbolizing the boss’s hope that the accountant would calculate every account meticulously and flawlessly for the agency head. As the saying goes: “Move the abacus wisely, and gold will flow in naturally — achieving both wealth and satisfaction.”

This is the scale used to weigh fragmented silver, locally called a “等子” (balance). Its unit of measurement is based on the traditional system of half a catty being eight taels, with one catty equaling sixteen taels. The sixteen-tael system comes from the sixteen stars in the sky: the seven stars of the Big Dipper, the six of the Southern Dipper, plus the three stars of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity. Cheating on silver weights was believed to reduce one’s blessings and lifespan.

This is an escort chest — the heaviest one in our museum collection, weighing seventy to eighty jin. It’s made of elm wood and features a lock that uses the most advanced anti-theft mechanism of the time. It could only be opened by combining the keys held by the head manager and the deputy manager, serving as a security measure.

As the saying goes, you worship Buddha before setting out. Let’s take a look at the shrine in the escort agency. The deity enshrined here is Guanyin, seated cross-legged with hands clasped. Take a closer look — the Guanyin in the escort agency has her arm resting on her leg, looking particularly relaxed and carefree. In the martial world, she is called the “Comfortable Guanyin,” or the “Martial Guanyin.” From the agency’s establishment in 1849 to its closure in 1913 — a full 64 years — not a single escort was ever lost. It’s believed that this Guanyin has been protecting us. If you’re a Buddhist, feel free to pay your respects.

Horse-Drawn Carriage:

This was used by the head escort on long journeys. In the past, only the wealthy could ride in such carriages. The wheels have eighteen axles, representing the Eighteen Arhats, and 108 nails, symbolizing the 108 heroes of Mount Liang. It was believed that with their protection, the head escort would return safely. The box-like compartment was something the head escort always carried on long trips, containing a teapot and teacups. The layer of cotton around it served to keep things warm, functioning like a thermos. This carriage was also called the “Two-in-One Horse Carriage.”

Main Hall:

The figure enshrined in the center is Guan Yu, the embodiment of loyalty and righteousness. In the past, martial artists setting off on long journeys would worship him, emphasizing the values of “loyalty and righteousness.”

Zuo Erba:

A native of Wenshui County, Shanxi, originally named Zuo Changde. He rose to fame for his leg techniques — reportedly powerful enough to kick a horse to death — earning him the title “Iron-Legged Zuo Erba.” During the Daoguang era, he was commissioned by the Zhejiang Governor to escort a batch of tribute goods, the “Seven Birds Silk Painting from Suzhou,” to Beijing. The journey was safe and secure, earning great praise from Emperor Daoguang, who immediately awarded him a yellow mandarin jacket and a small yellow flag. Since yellow was reserved for the emperor alone, the yellow mandarin jacket was akin to a pardon from death, and when Zuo Erba escorted goods, planting the yellow flag upside down on the cart meant no robber would dare attack.

Dai Erlü:

This section introduces Dai Longbang, the father of Dai Erlü, the founder of Shanxi Xingyi Quan (Form-Intention Boxing). Xingyi Quan is a martial art that mimics animal movements. Since it was created by the Dai family, it’s also called “Dai-style Boxing.” Dai Erlü was from Qixian County, Shanxi. Li Laonong from Cangzhou, Hebei — known as the “Home of Martial Arts” — was one of Dai Longbang’s disciples. Why would Li Laonong, from the martial hub of Cangzhou, seek to learn from Dai Longbang? At the time, every escort master passing through major cities had to shout out their agency name — for example, if you ran the “Tongxinggong Escort Agency,” you’d shout “Tongxinggong” to promote your brand and alert local martial artists. However, in Cangzhou, Hebei, shouting was forbidden because it was a place teeming with martial talent, known as a “land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.” Legend says that when Dai Erlü was escorting goods through Cangzhou, an inexperienced apprentice shouted the agency name, sparking a martial dispute. In the end, Dai Erlü emerged victorious, which inspired Li Laonong to travel to Shanxi to learn martial arts. And thus, the saying “No shouting of agency names in Cangzhou” was born. By the time Li Laonong arrived in Shanxi, he was already in his forties. He worked as a handyman for the Dai family for over ten years and didn’t master the true teachings of Xingyi Quan until his fifties. Usually, such internal martial arts are passed down only within the family, to men, not women — yet it was eventually taught to the Li family.

Training Room:

This training room is built in a cave dwelling style — cool in summer, warm in winter, and earthquake-resistant. It’s been around for over 400 years. These sandbags weren’t for building arm strength in apprentices — they were for improving agility and dodging skills. Over here, you’ll see a tai chi ball used to train arm strength. In the past, apprentices would squat in a horse stance and push the ball back and forth. Once they reached a certain level, they’d lift the ball and roll it across their arms. The saying “four ounces can deflect a thousand pounds” originates from this kind of training. There are also hook swords, iron sand pots, and dumbbells. As the saying goes: “Food is the first necessity of the people” — let’s head to the kitchen.

Let’s guess what this object opposite us is used for. Its exterior is woven from willow twigs, the middle is filled with the unique yellow clay of Shanxi, and it’s lined with oil paper to preserve contents. It’s a vinegar crock. There’s an old saying: “You can surrender your gun, but never your vinegar crock.” There are also wine jars and food delivery boxes.

Take a look inside at the noodle press used for making "he luo" noodles. At the peak of the escort agency's business, there were over 100 people, and making ordinary noodles by hand was too slow, so they had to use this noodle press. In the past, only the wealthy could afford to eat he luo noodles. When Pingyao girls were choosing a husband, they wouldn’t consider farmers or vegetable sellers—only men from escort agencies or money shops, because only the young workers there could eat he luo noodles. Everyone was looking for money. Don’t let the small size of our kitchen fool you—back then, the food was exceptionally good.

Martial Arts Training Ground:

Take a look at the "Golden Basin Hand-Washing" ritual. As the saying goes: the higher the water splashes, the more prosperous the wealth and fortune. The Seven-Star Plum Blossom Poles were designed based on the Big Dipper in the sky. Originally, they were used to train the young apprentices in lightness skills for climbing walls and rooftops. After reaching a certain level, the number of poles would increase to forty-nine, each over a person’s height and unevenly spaced. Stone Locks: Weighing over 30 kilograms, the head of the escort agency had to lift them overhead 100 times every day.

Upstairs:

This escort agency was established by Wang Zhengqing, and this is the original site. At the age of 16, due to extreme poverty at home, he went to work as a noodle roller at a Beijing noodle shop. Back then, there were no noodle machines, so they used wooden levers and rollers to press the dough, which helped him develop astonishing arm strength—earning him the nickname “Noodle King” from later generations. By the age of 20, he was taken as a disciple by Jia Diankui, the martial arts master of Emperor Daoguang, who taught him various martial arts. He trained in martial arts for a total of 11 years and eventually became the “Divine Spear Noodle King” Wang Zhengqing. Wang Zhengqing and Emperor Daoguang can be considered martial brothers. The spear beside us is an actual item used by Wang Zhengqing—the spearhead is a later addition, but the shaft is original. Martial artists, before retiring from the jianghu (martial world), had to destroy their spearheads, symbolizing that they would never re-enter the martial arts world—a gesture akin to washing one’s hands in a golden basin. This spear is made of ash wood, which has excellent elasticity and strong resilience, making it difficult to break.

The Head Escort’s Bedroom: Take a look at this bed—it was a symbol of status back then, something only a fourth-rank official could have. It was bestowed by Emperor Daoguang and could be used in both winter and summer. In winter, the wooden boards on the sides could be pulled up for warmth, and in summer, they could be pulled down. Going further inside is the bedroom where the head escort slept—a traditional earthen kang. Look up—you’ll see a painting of a beauty from the Qing Dynasty, known for her “three-inch golden lotus” feet. Aesthetic values were different back then; appearance didn’t matter as much as foot size—the smaller the feet, the higher the status. Also, social hierarchy was extremely strict. Hanging such paintings at home not only served a decorative purpose but also displayed family honor and prosperity. The outer room is the reception hall. Notice the semicircular table—back then, the head and deputy managers each held half of it, and at year-end, they would put them together to symbolize completeness. Then they’d hold a celebration banquet, and the last dish served was fish. If the fish head was pointed at someone, it meant that person was getting fired—don’t come back next year.

Reasons for Decline:

First, by the late Qing Dynasty, with the advent of guns and cannons, the traditional eighteen martial arts weapons became obsolete.

Second, transportation was inconvenient. Using a wheelbarrow for escort missions incurred very high costs—one tael of silver per kilometer.

Third, the risks were high. Losing a single escort mission meant having to compensate the client double.

Underground Vault:

In the past, escort agencies didn’t necessarily set off immediately after receiving a mission—this was a temporary storage place for silver. It connects to the martial arts training room with the Tai Chi Ball. Below, it could hold up to 5 million taels of silver, equivalent to 375 million RMB today. Usually, it was covered with weeds, grains, and wooden lids to disguise its purpose. Its location near the entrance played on the common people’s reverse psychology—the most dangerous place is often the safest.

Address: No. 24, East Street, Pingyao County, Jinzhong City

Type: Historical Monument & Architecture

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Phone: 0354-5686308

Opening Hours:

Monday–Sunday 8:00–19:30 (Spring/Summer); 8:00–18:00 (Autumn/Winter)

Ticket Information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the Pingyao Ancient City Pass. Ancient City Pass: 120 RMB (peak season), 90 RMB (off-season), valid for three days.