Pingyao (平遥：Píngyáo) is a small city whose old town is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is typically considered the best ancient walled city in China, and is on many lists of the best walled cities in the world.

The ancient city is in Pingyao County, Shanxi Province. The city wall was first built during the Zhou Dynasty (11th century - 256 B.C.) and was expanded in 1370, the third  year of the reign of Ming Emperor Hongwu. Since 1997, it has been listed as a World Heritage Site. Now Pingyao city is the only one in China completely reserved as it was hundreds of years ago, no modern buildings, only narrow stone-plate street with many Chinese-style shops on the two sides.   

The perimeter of this square city is 6.4km long and the city wall is the earliest and largest intact city wall in China. It is 12m high with an average width of 5m. The wall is rammed earth strengthened with a covering of bricks. Outside the city wall there is a moat, 4m wide and 4m deep.

The city has six gates, two each on the east and west and one each in the south and north side. All the gates project outwards and have two doors each. This has given the city the name "Turtle City" with the two gates on the south and north representing the head and tail of the turtle and four gates on the east and west as the four legs. The doors on the south and north stand opposite each other, like the head of the turtle extending out and two wells just beyond southern gate are like a turtle's two eyes.

Climatic Feature: Temperate, continental, monsoonal climate; long and cold winters and mild summers

Average Temperature: -16 - -2C in January while 19-28C in July

Rainfall: Most yearly rainfalls in summer

Rivers: Fen River

Top Attractions: The city wall, Ming architecture, Ri Sheng Chang and South Street