Pingyao Ancient City can be considered as the New York of China during the Qing dynasty. The ancient city was considered as the financial center of the Qing empire and it has tremendous importance to the kingdom of that time. Just like other ancient cities in China, it was built as something like a fort to protect against potential invaders. Inside however, were the properties of the financial institutions of the time and even the rich. Even in this kind of location, Pingyao Ancient City has parts which try to deviate from what could have been a unidimensional city.
The compounds built in Pingyao were owned by different individuals or institutions. As such, some would try to make more impressive structures than the others. Others would small gardens to make the place more pleasant. After all, even modern central business districts also have their own greenery to make the place more pleasant. This concept was used even back then. The gardens sport the traditional Chinese garden style, which is common throughout China. This was epitomized by some gardens which were made famous in Suzhou in modern Jiangsu province.
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