The?Ancient?City?of?Pingyao
平遥古城
Natural?Features
自然概况
Pingyao?is?a?small?town?in?central?Shanxi?Province?into?whose?history?goes?back?2700?years，when?it?was?first?built?during?the?reign?of?King?Xuan(827-782BC)of?the?Western?ZhouDynasty.?Since?the“Province?and?County?System"?by?Emperor?Qin?in?221?BC，the?city?has?beenthe?county?seat?in?all?the?times.?Despite?so?many?events?or?incidents,?it?survived?practically?as?itwas?in?the?600?years?or?more?since?Ming?and?Cling?dynasties，and?ranks?as?the?only?intactancient?city?of?Ming?and?Cling?dynasties?well?preserved?in?China.
位于山西省中部的平遥古城是一座只有2700多年历史的文化名城。平遥古城遥古城始建于西周宣王时期(前 827一前782）自公元前221年，秦实行“郡县制”以来，平遥城一直是县治所在地，一直延续至今。平遥古城历尽沧桑，但自明清以来的六白多年间，平遥城市面积和布局基本末变，成为迄今为止国内保存最完整的一座明清时期的古代县城.
The?city?wall?stretches?for?about?six?kilometers.The?town?is?protected?by?a?city?moat，boththree?meters?deep?and?wide.?Outside?the?city?is?a?drawbridge.Witnin?the?city，four?big?streetsand?eight?small?streets?radiate?to?join?with?72?lanes.
平遥古城墙绵延约6公里。整个城市由4条深3米、宽3米的护城壕旧护，城门外面有一座吊桥。古城内，4条大街和8条小街纵横交错，连接着72条小巷。
Preserved?in?the?ancient?city?are?near?4000?traditional?quadrangle?residences?of?commonpeople，over?400?of?which?are?fairly?intact，?in?addition?to?the?few?even?more?cherishedhouses?of?Ming?Dynasty?and?those?rare?proto-types?of?Yuan?Dynasty.?These?shelters?are?typicalof?northern?China?and?Shanxi?province，specifically?with?the?following?features:
Perfectcombination?of?cave?dwelling?and?quadrangle?courtyard;
Rectangle?layout?with?anenclosed?but?elaborate?space;
Mostly?shed?or?flat?roofed;
Grand?courtyard?as?a?wholebut?elegant?inside;
Carefully?observing?Chinese?geomancy?as?well?as?other?customs.
平遥古城内现今保存有近4000处传统的四合院民居，它们大多有百年以上的历史，其中有400余处保存得相当完好，还有少部分为明代和罕见的元代民居，十分珍贵。这些民居具有典型的汉民族北方居民特点，又是三晋地区民居的典型代表，其特色表现在以下几个方面：
（1）是地上窑洞与四合院的完美结合；
(2)有狭长的平面布局和封闭但极为卜富的院落空间；
（3）屋顶多为单坡和平顶相结合;
（4）民居l院落整体形态为外雄内秀;?
（5）民居中体现了丰富的中国传统风水和其他民俗内容。
So?many?ancient?houses，city?walls，streets，lanes?as?well?as?other?cultural?sites?of?Ming?andQing?Dynasties?are?so?perfectly?preserved?in?Pingyao?City?that?it?is?really?the?only?prototypefound?in?areas?of?Han?people?in?China.
平遥古城如此众多的明清时明民居和古城墙，古街，古巷等其他古迹能完好地保存至今，是极为罕见、弥足珍贵的孤例。
In?1986，State?Council?announced?the?city?as?a?state?city?of?history?and?culture，and?inDecember?of?1997?UNESCO?inscribed?it?on“World?Heritage?List"?with?their?considerationthat“The?Ancient?City?of?Ping?Yao?is?an?outstanding?example?of?a?Han?Chinese?city?of?the?Mingand?Qing?Dynasties(14th一20th?centuries)that?has?retained?all?its?features?to?an?exceptionaldegree?and?in?doing?so?provides?a?remarkably?complete?picture?ofcultural，social，economic，and?religious?development?during?one?of?the?most?seminal?periodsof?Chinese?history.”
1986年，平遥古城被国务院公布为国家级历史文化名城。1997年12月l被联合国科教文组织列人《世界遗产名录》，世界遗产委员会对其的评价是:平遥古城是中国汉民族城市在明清时期的杰出范例，平遥古城保存了其所有特征，而且在中国的历史发展中，为人们展示了一幅非同寻常的文化、社会、经济及宗教发展的完整画卷。
参考资料
中英双语话中国旅游 第27期:平遥古城自然概况(上).可可英语[引用时间2017-12-20]