Pingyao County Yamen Museum

Pingyao County Yamen Museum

Pingyao County Yamen Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Pingyao County Yamen is located in the center of the ancient city. It was first built during the Northern Wei Dynasty, took shape during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, and the oldest surviving structure dates back to the sixth year of the Zhi Zheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1346), which is over 600 years ago. The entire yamen faces south and is symmetrically laid out along an axis, stretching over 200 meters from north to south and more than 100 meters from east to west, covering an area of over 26,000 square meters. The yamen follows feudal rites, with civil offices on the left and military on the right, front sections for audiences and back sections for residence. Along the central axis, there are six courtyards, arranged from the outside in as follows: the main gate, the main hall, the residential gate, the second hall, the inner residence, and the Great Immortal Tower. The main hall is also called the "Qinmin Hall" (Hall of Serving the People), and the inner residence is also known as the "Qinshen Hall" (Hall of Diligence and Caution). On the eastern side, from north to south, are the flower hall, Changping Granary, Zanhou Temple, and Land God Shrine—Changping Granary is also called the Money and Grain Office. On the western side, from south to north, are: the prison, the public office (ruins), the Ten Kings Temple, Hongshan Post, and the Supervisory Arrest Office. (The Ten Kings Temple, Hongshan Post, and Ma Wang Temple are currently under restoration and not yet open to the public). The entire architectural complex is well-organized, with a clear hierarchy, staggered layout, and rational structure, forming an organic whole. Whether in terms of architectural layout or functional arrangement, it can be considered a miniature imperial palace. On May 19, 2004, the 11th Panchen Lama visited the yamen and inscribed the words: “Pingyao County Yamen—the finest of ancient yamens.”

To enter the yamen, you must first pass through the main gate. A gate is an essential passage into any building. Throughout history, nearly all structures have had gates—cities have city gates, palaces have palace gates, homes have front doors, and temples have temple gates. As a primary administrative institution, the county yamen functioned as a judicial body in feudal society. In such a place of significant power, a gate was indispensable. The county yamen is also called "Yamen Gate," highlighting the importance of the "gate." Precisely because it is so important, the yamen gate is hard to enter. As the saying goes, “Since ancient times, yamen gates have opened to the south; those without money, even if in the right, shall not enter.” This shows that entering the yamen required financial security.

On the eastern side of the yamen gate stands a large drum, known as the “Dengwen Drum,” commonly referred to as the “Big Drum,” which was used by commoners to appeal grievances. Upon hearing the drum, the magistrate would immediately summon the person who struck it to appear in court. If the case was serious, the magistrate would quickly hold a session to hear it. If the issue was minor, the person would be interrogated on the spot to uphold the dignity of the court. Thus, lodging a complaint by beating the drum was also risky at the time. Now, please look at the couplet outside the gate:

Do not seek revenge, do not harbor anger, do not heed instigation; coming here wastes effort, energy, and money—winning against others only exhausts yourself.

Be reasonable, consider circumstances, judge the times; serving as this official without diligence, integrity, or caution easily creates sins and makes it hard to deceive heaven.

This couplet tells the public to understand the difficulties faced by magistrates and advises against visiting without good reason. It also warns people to be extremely cautious before entering—any carelessness may result in great loss, leaving oneself at a disadvantage. Therefore, it’s better to avoid the yamen when possible.

Opposite the yamen gate is a brick screen wall, built according to Han Chinese Taoist customs, mainly for warding off evil spirits. On the northern side of the screen wall is painted a giant monster—“” (a mythical beast resembling a qilin), with flames emanating from its four limbs, surrounded by treasures, but it is inherently greedy and insatiable. With its blood-red mouth wide open, it attempts to swallow the sun and moon. Failing to swallow the sun, it perishes in the cliffs and sea. This painting serves as a warning to magistrates to take it as a lesson and avoid corruption and abuse of power.

Passing through the main gate leads into the first courtyard of the yamen, where you can see six caves on both the eastern and western sides, symbolizing “six sixes bring smoothness.” These are the Tax and Labor Houses, buildings from the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, used for collecting taxes and grain.

The gate before you is the second gate of the yamen—the Yi Gate, which, as the name implies, is the “Gate of Ceremony.” The Yi Gate is usually closed and not opened except for special occasions such as the inauguration of a new magistrate, receiving distinguished guests, or holding major celebratory events. In Chinese feudal rites, the east is considered noble while the west is humble. Hence, the corner gates on either side are named accordingly: the eastern corner gate is called the “Human Gate,” used for the magistrate’s daily comings and goings, while the western corner gate is called the “Ghost Gate,” which is also usually closed and only opened when bringing in prisoners for interrogation or escorting condemned prisoners to execution.

Entering the Yi Gate leads to the second courtyard of the yamen, known as the “Six Ministries Courtyard.” At the central government level, they are called the “Six Ministries,” while at the local level, they are referred to as the “Six Offices.” The six offices are symmetrically arranged, uniformly built with blue bricks and gray tiles, featuring six-rafter flush-gable front-porch architecture. The Offices of Personnel (“Li”), Revenue (“Hu”), and Rites (“Li”) are on the east, while the Offices of War (“Bing”), Punishment (“Xing”), and Works (“Gong”) are on the west. The Personnel Office managed promotions, transfers, and appointments of county officials, issuing appointment notices—its function is similar to today’s “Human Resources Bureau.” The Revenue Office oversaw the collection of taxes and grain, disaster relief, and grain distribution—akin to today’s “Grain Bureau.” The Rites Office managed Confucian studies, education, celebrations, and ceremonies—comparable to today’s “Education Bureau.” The War Office handled conscription of soldiers and horses, and military training—equivalent to today’s “Armed Forces Department.” The Punishment Office managed civil and criminal cases across the county, covering the functions of today’s police, procuratorate, and courts. The Works Office was responsible for sericulture and water conservancy projects—similar to today’s “Construction Bureau.” The ancient yamen had a staff of only 125 people managing all county affairs—an extremely streamlined organization.

Guta Town: The seat of Pingyao County Government. Located at the southern end of the Taiyuan Basin, it borders Qi County to the east, Wenxi County to the north, Fenyang to the west, and Jiexiu to the southwest. The ancient city of Pingyao lies to the south of Qinyuan, southeast of Qinxian and Wuxiang. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of the county. The world cultural heritage site—the Ancient City of Pingyao—is situated in the central part of our town, making it one of the most vibrant and economically strong towns in Pingyao County. It borders Yupi Township and Duan Village Town to the south, Zhongdu Township to the west, Nanzheng Township to the north, and Yupi Township and Hongshan Town to the east. The Guta Town government is located in Xicheng Village, governing Dongcheng, Xicheng, Nancheng, … Guta Town detailed information++