The Ancient City of Ping Yao is the best preserved ancient Han Chinese city. Located in Ping Yao County, Shanxi Province, the property includes three parts: the entire area within the walls of Ping Yao, Shuanglin Temple six kilometers southwest of the county seat, and Zhenguo Temple 12 kilometers northeast of the county seat. The Ancient City of Ping Yao retains the historic form of the county-level cities of the Han people in Central China from the 14th to 20th century.
平遥古城是中国汉民族地区现存最完整的古城。它位于山西省平遥县，古城遗产包括三个部分：平遥城墙内的全部区域、县城西南六公里处的双林寺，以及县城东北十二公里处的镇国寺。平遥古城保留了从14世纪到20世纪中国中部汉民族县级城市的历史文化形态。
Founded in the 14th century and covering an area of 225 hectares, the Ancient City of Ping Yao is a complete building complex including ancient walls, streets and lanes, shops, dwellings and temples. Its layout reflects perfectly the developments in architectural style and urban planning of Han cities over more than five centuries. From the 19th century to the early 20th century in particular, the Ancient City of Ping Yao was a financial center for the whole of China. The nearly 4,000 existing shops and traditional dwellings in the town bear witness to Ping Yao’s economic prosperity over a century. With more than 2,000 existing painted sculptures made in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Shuanglin Temple has been reputed as an “oriental art gallery of painted sculptures”.
平遥古城始建于14世纪，占地面积225公顷，是一个完整的建筑群。它包括古城墙、街道巷弄、商铺、住宅和寺庙。其布局完美地反映了汉民族城市在五个多世纪以来的建筑风格和城市规划的发展。特别是从19世纪到20世纪初，平遥古城曾是中国的金融中心。城内现存的近4 000家商铺和传统住宅见证了平遥一个多世纪的经济繁荣。双林寺拥有2 000多尊明清时期的彩绘雕塑，被誉为“东方彩绘雕塑的艺术殿堂”。
The Ancient City of Ping Yao is an outstanding example of Han cities in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It retains all typical Han city features, providing a complete picture of the cultural, social and economic development in Chinese history. In addition, it is valuable for the study of the social forms, economic structure, military defense, traditional thinking and dwellings during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
平遥古城是明清时期汉民族城市的杰出代表。它保留了所有典型的汉民族城市特征，全面展现了中国历史进程中文化、社会和经济发展。此外，它对于研究明清时期的社会形态、经济结构、军事防御、传统思想和住宅具有重要价值。
