Chapter 50 49. Defend Pingyao

In December 1997, the ancient city of Pingyao was included in the "World Heritage List".The overall protection and management of Pingyao is another way of thinking about the development of ancient cities: urban development does not need to completely follow the road of industrialization; urban planning does not need to be all high-rise buildings and main roads - many ancient cities are destroyed by this "modern" thinking.The ancient city of Pingyao, located in Shanxi, is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 2,700 years. It is also known as the "four most well-preserved ancient cities" along with Langzhong in Sichuan, Lijiang in Yunnan, and Shexian in Anhui, which are also the second batch of national historical and cultural cities. It is also the only ancient county in my country that has successfully applied for the world cultural heritage with the entire ancient city.In the ancient city, there are national key cultural relics protection units Pingyao City Wall, Zhenguo Temple, Pingyao Shuanglin Temple, Cixiang Temple, and Pingyao Confucian Temple.Its traffic network is composed of criss-crossing four main streets, eight small streets, and seventy-two alleys. Touring the whole city, we can see the blueprint of urban planning and construction in Ming and Qing Dynasties in China.Since 2001, Pingyao has held an annual International Photography Festival.

If the time is moved forward for less than two hundred years, people can't imagine that Pingyao will become a tourist place.If someone comes from Beijing or from other parts of China, it is only to seek profit or business guidance in China's wealth center. When the first bank, Rishengchang, appeared in Pingyao in 1823, Chinese history was in a strange era of hesitation. This country seemed like a hesitant giant, and lost all opportunities in the midst of hesitation.At that time, the business between Guangzhou and Western countries was booming, and two special products of China, silk and tea, were very popular.However, most of these businesses were monopolized by the government-authorized Thirteen Banks. The most prominent businessman was Haoguan. Later studies said that Haoguan’s wealth was enough to rank among the world’s richest people.Another business that was also very popular was the import and export of opium.

The establishment of Rishengchang is regarded as the beginning of China's banking industry.After Rishengchang, a large number of bank accounts have sprung up in Pingyao, Qixian, and Taigu in Shanxi, and there are 22 in Pingyao alone.These three places are all located on the Jinzhong Plain, lined up in a row.These three small counties on the Jinzhong Plain have become the concentration of wealth in China.Among them, Pingyao is especially concentrated in rich businessmen and great merchants, known as "Little Beijing". When the bank was prosperous, its semi-colons spread all over the country, and its businessmen became rich in the world.So much so that Gu Long, who has never been to Shanxi, in his martial arts novels, regards Shanxi bank merchants and tourists outside the Northeast Pass as the wealthiest people in the world.Liang Qichao said: "I have been overseas for more than ten years. I often have no words to criticize my country's commercial capabilities. Shanxi has a unique history, foundation, and can continue to develop. I often boast that I am ahead of the world. By 1836, when Wall Street was regarded as synonymous with the New York stock market, and New York was increasingly becoming the financial center of the United States, Shanxi Bank had also matured.The Empress Dowager Cixi once commented on Pingyao's synergy celebration bank: "A synergy celebration bank's fundraising income is comparable to that of Shanxi feudal officials, and is almost comparable to that of the Qing Dynasty's household department."

This kind of extravagant and wealthy leftover scene still surprised Song Ailing who married to Shanxi after the Shanxi bank had declined after the war.In the words of the American biographer Robbie Eunsen, "to the bride's astonishment, at the end of this arduous journey, she discovered a life of the most extravagant life she had ever known . . . because some Important bankers live in Taigu, so it’s often called China’s Wall Street.” "China's Wall Street", if it is more accurate, it should be named after the three adjacent counties on the Jinzhong Plain: Taigu, Qixian, and Pingyao.Today, the luxury is gone, but there are still traces of luxury here: the compound with at least three entrances is the office of the ticket dealer, the main entrance is the cabinet room (counter), the first courtyard is the account room, and the second courtyard is the letter room (information exchanged between the semicolon and the general number), the third hospital is the assistant room (senior management personnel one level lower than the manager), and then it is the general manager room.

When people later traveled to these places, they could imagine the wealth and luxury of the money dealers from the deep courtyards that are still preserved. It's a pity that China did not choose the road of Pingyao, and the subsequent history can be described as declining.The most glorious era of Pingyao has also passed away. Pingyao began to attract attention again in 1981.This year, the so-called "Knife Under the Sword" incident occurred.Most of the later accounts of this matter are very brief, but the protagonists are only a few people.In the early 1980s, cities all over China were planning and constructing, and Pingyao was no exception.The Pingyao County Government invited someone to make a Pingyao City Master Plan.This new plan is to open up four streets in Pingyao, east, west, north, south, and four streets. Corresponding to the four streets, Pingyao’s city wall built in the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty needs to open 8 gaps-the ancient city wall of Pingyao is 12 meters high, 5 meters thick, and 12 meters in circumference. In Huali, the city wall has 3,000 crenels and 72 enemy towers, corresponding to the 3,000 disciples and 72 sages under Confucius' door.

After the plan came out, in order to open up these four streets, all the bungalows in the west gate of the city will be demolished. "At that time, more than 100 meters of residential buildings outside the west gate of the city had been demolished. Now, just after entering Pingyao City, there is a relatively wide section left at that time. A gap was also opened south of the east gate," Chai Zejun said.Chai Zejun was an official of the Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee and an expert in ancient architecture.He knew about this matter because one of his subordinates, Li Youhua, then director of Pingyao County Cultural Management Office, notified him at the risk of losing his official position.Li Youhua even lay down in the doorway to stop the demolition workers.

Chai Zejun said that Li Youhua is "very nice, can write and draw, and is very talented". In 1977, part of the city wall of Pingyao collapsed due to a flood. Li Youhua was afraid that someone would secretly take away the bricks of the city wall, and arranged for people to patrol at night. "From 1980 to 1986, Li Youhua was with the engineering team. He was on site during the day and on duty at the city wall at night. After Pingyao was opened to the public, Li Youhua visited the city wall countless times, day and night. "Chai Zejun said that he later wrote in calligraphy in a book published by Pingyao County for Li Youhua, "I will devote myself to the protection of cultural relics."

After receiving the news from Li Youhua, Chai Zejun took his colleagues to Pingyao immediately, but "the ancient city of Pingyao was not a national cultural relics protection unit at that time, people's level of understanding was limited, and the urban construction system was not under our control. It was not enough to run once, but to go twice and three times. Or not." At this time, another important person appeared.This new urban plan was submitted by Pingyao County to the Shanxi Provincial Construction Committee for approval. It happened that Ruan Yisan, a researcher from Tongji University at that time, was assisting the local urban planning in Yuci, Shanxi.The people from the Provincial Construction Committee showed Ruan Yisan the master plan of Pingyao City.Ruan Yisan was also taken aback when he saw this plan, because this plan is equivalent to demolishing all the ancient buildings in the center of Pingyao City, including Rishengchang.

"The director of the Planning Department of the Shanxi Provincial Construction Department is from Tongji University. Through him, I went to the director of the Shanxi Provincial Construction Department. He was called the director of the Construction Committee at the time. Director Sun said, okay, since you said the planning is not good, Pingyao If the demolition couldn’t be done, then don’t demolish it for the time being. At that time, hundreds of attics had already been demolished. There was no evidence to make a plan, so I came back and brought twelve students there. After making the plan, I knew It’s useless to talk like this, so I went directly to Beijing to find the authoritative people Luo Lao (Luo Zhewen) and Zheng Lao (Zheng Xiaoxie). The chief engineer of the Ministry, they are also members of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, I asked them to go, because I, Ruan Yisan, was a lecturer at the time, and it was a matter of people not treating you, so I took them to see, and when they arrived, the governor also came out, then I decided to do it according to my plan." Ruan Yisan recalled.

"Why did Pingyao stay? Because it was a little slow, (slow because) it was poor, it was the poorest among these cities (Taigu, Qixian, Xinxian, Jiexiu), and it moved a little slower. Then ( It) also scraped the city wall and opened a hole, opened a main road, opened 180 meters, demolished more than 30 buildings of Ming Dynasty, demolished more than 100 buildings of Qing Dynasty, and demolished hundreds and thousands of buildings. It’s a bit slower.” “Superficiality is a reflection of uneducated peasant cadres.” Ruan Yisan said. In order to plan the city of Pingyao, Ruan Yisan not to mention the money, but also borrowed 3,000 yuan, which he later slowly repaid with his own professor funds.But this plan to send to Beijing made Luo Zhewen and Zheng Xiaoxie decide to help Pingyao.Zheng Xiaoxie wrote on Ruan Yisan's plan: "This plan has played the role of 'keeping the city under the sword' and has made an important contribution to the protection of the motherland's cultural heritage."

Then, Ruan Yisan wrote down the Pingyao City Wall, Zhengguo Temple, and Shuanglin Temple and reported them to the National Treasure Unit.The Ministry of Culture allocated 80,000 yuan to repair the city wall.Shanxi Province also approved Ruan Yisan's plan.Ruan Yisan also spent his own money to organize training courses for government officials in Pingyao County, allowing them to study at Tongji University to learn about ancient architecture and cultural relic protection. "These students later became my confidantes. Say." "Once, when I came back from Pingyao, I went straight to the office of a major leader of the provincial government and talked about the current situation of the ancient city and the urgency of protecting it. After hearing this, the leader attached great importance to it and instructed the relevant departments that the ancient city of Pingyao can only be preserved, not demolished. , Whoever demolishes it will be held accountable. Since then, the new plan for Pingyao City has been released." Chai Zejun who said this is also a key figure in the protection of Pingyao City. In 1986, Pingyao was identified as a national historical and cultural city; in 1988, Pingyao's city wall, Shuanglin Temple and Zhenguo Temple were listed as national key cultural relics protection units.The recognition of the central government has led governments at all levels to generously contribute to the restoration of the ancient city of Pingyao. By 1993, the country had invested more than 5.5 million yuan in the restoration of the ancient city of Pingyao. The real brilliance is that Pingyao was declared a world cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1997. Chai Zejun, who played an important role in the protection of Pingyao, was the deputy head of Pingyao's bid to host the world cultural heritage team. "The ancient city of Pingyao is an outstanding example of a city of the Han nationality in China during the Ming and Qing dynasties...showing people a complete picture of an extraordinary cultural, social, economic and religious development," UNESCO said.As a result, after becoming a world cultural heritage, Pingyao's tourism ticket revenue immediately increased from 180,000 yuan a year before the world heritage application to more than 5 million yuan a year. In 2007, Pingyao's tourism income reached 77 million yuan. Helping Pingyao reach this huge number is the International Photography Festival held in Pingyao since September 20, 2001. The 2007 International Photography Festival attracted more than 300 photographers and 20 curators from 47 countries and regions to participate in the exhibition, exhibiting more than 10,000 works.Statistics from the Pingyao County Tourism Bureau show that in 2000, the year before the photography festival began, Pingyao received a total of 163,000 tourists, with ticket sales of 7.8 million yuan.In the week of the 2007 photo exhibition, Pingyao received nearly 210,000 visitors, including nearly 7,000 foreign tourists.This year's tourism income was 77 million yuan, almost ten times that of 2000.The glorious financial center in the past is a model of urban protection today.