平遙古城
平遙古城是活著的古城，《蘭陵王》戰馬奔騰、《大宅門》晉商興衰，《大紅燈龍高高掛》一瞥當年的「中國華爾街」南大街。留戀於張藝謀的執導的電影場景，感慨世事無常……。
像昔日歐洲金融中心，今為義大利觀光景點的佛羅倫斯和威尼斯一般，位在北京西南方350哩的山西平遙，19世紀時有一段「白銀帝國」傳奇：在西大街誕生中國首間票號「日昇昌」- 由李大全和雷履泰在1823年合辦 - 從花崗岩門坎上的車痕、櫃臺、儲銀地窖、房廳設備，一窺數世紀晉商的勤奮與精明。在緊鄰日昇昌的「同興公鏢局」，武俠小說的武師好像還在護鏢。晚清時晉票有50多家，而在平遙就有最多22間，而南大街一度控制過達一半以上的全國經濟。
夯土城垣遺址透露平遙建城於約2800年前的周宣王時期。現存為明初洪武年間重建的格局。平遙城牆周長約6公里，有三千個垛口、72座敵樓，象徵孔子三千弟子及72聖人。古城具八卦陣佈局，稱「龜城」，象徵固若金湯、吉祥長存，屹立於黃土高原。以南北門為龜首尾，東西四門是四足；大小街巷以「土」字交錯對稱，形如龜背。以南大街為中軸線，城東有明初所建的城隍廟，城西有建於六百年前的縣署，城左有中國現存最久的孔廟、城右武廟。城內眾多的民居街坊，包括近3800間四合院，仍保持著三、四百年前原貌特色，至今仍有人居住於部份屋內。精巧的木、磚和石雕，栩栩如生的鄉土剪紙窗花，加上流傳至今諸多民俗和傳說，彷彿置身14至19世紀時空。
平遙古城沒受文化大革命破壞，幸為「中國現存最完整的古代縣城」，是國家5A景點，也獲美國《紐約時報》評選為2011年全球最值得旅遊第37位景點！從1997年，當聯合國選她為世界遺產時的五萬旅次，在2014年平遙古城高鐵站的設立而華麗轉身後，2016年突破一千萬大關。看她逐步打造國際文化品牌：每年舉辦國際攝影大展，及2017年起的國際電影展。
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
這篇是11月24日之前，筆者的稿和廣告公司的版本最相近的一次，筆者是11/7交稿，可見的確是要聊有歷史意義的內容，但是把和電影流行的內容砍掉了。筆者想從日昇昌的角度來作張力，非常成功！廣告公司這樣貼讓筆者當天剩11/28織金洞和11/30法門寺的篇幅，歷史遺跡的景點會偏史學、地理學或考古學的角度摹寫。
筆者在寫作時參考自己在2013年10月13日於經濟學者的文章，回覆「Banking on ancient capital」
https://www.economist.com/node/21586846/comments
In China, the location of capital is usually chosen for ruler’s approach of each historic state’s development. The earliest in chronology is the relic of Erlitou culture of Xia dynasty. A symbol of one state, tripod (called “Din” in Chinese) since King Yu, the Chinese first dynasty Xias founder, defined nine blocks, is always fixed up in the capital’s hall where Chinese historical rulers summoned powerful officials and the trusted relative aide. Thus, surrounding "Din", Chinas capital was crucial for unity in monarchy age for 4100 years until Qings fall in 1911.
In the period of Warring States, the capital, such as Lintz of Chi State or Xianyang of Qin State which finally unified China first in B.C. 221, was built not only for the military savings of expansion to other state in Zhou dynasty but the prosperity of business, industry and fortune as a result of tax incoming in segregate. Since then, Chinese historical capital, often represented as contemporary political and cultural central, inherited a variety of precious asset one after another generation. Also seen in historic cinema or TV drama, the tall city wall, pastly for security use, remains now as tourist destination. Focusing on this kind of construction may be an instant way of both economics and educational improvement, moreover in accord to some art decoration, which may be affiliated with the cultivation tour.
The prevailing of Chinese dynasty mostly depends on the founder’s military competency. Each age owns its unique style, affecting each capital’s arrangement and each state’s outline of historic development. Basically, it had been a long period that Chinese dynastys capital located in and around Huang He, generally seen as the origin of Chinese culture, like Chang’an (now Xi’an) and Luoyang in Han dynasty.
In addition, owing to a split concern after Western Jin was annexed, Yangtze surroundings was faster developed for the immigration from provinces north of the river. Jianqang, now Nanjing, processed the “splendid six-dynasty culture”, like Liang Wudi’s writings with wooden carvings in Buddhism, with a spilt and relative steady security.
Meantime, the nomad in the north of Yangtze built numerous clan state. Among these competitors, Xianbei’s Northern Wei reached a biggest unity outside of southern dynasty’s counterpart. Pingchen, now Datong, and Luoyang, seen as main Northern Wei’s royal and loyalty’s location, still remains some as evidence showing the co-existence of nomad and Han people little before or after Emperor Xiaowen’s Han-combination policy while 6 military ports kept along Northern Wei’s border.
Several centuries later, Tang Empire owned a period of gorgeous prosperity on a basis of Chang’an’s grandiose planning of global metropolitan as brilliant as Baghdad, including multinational markets and livings for Chinese, European and Arabian, with various colourful poem and business style. After a short-time turmoil, Song dynasty, comprised of “flowering civilian multicultural”, built up in Bianjin, now Kaifeng. As a weaker nation than neighboring nomad, Song was famous for the romantic article and wrist defense. It’s mirrored on Zhang Ze-duan’s prominent shan-shui, “Along the river during Qing Ming festival”.
Southern Song was famous for neo-Confucianism and religion exchange and trade in water “silk road” with Japan and Islam. Linan, now Hangzhou, has been China’s centre of clothes industry since then. In the north, Chinese nomad prevailed again such as Nuzhen and Mongolian. Nuzhen’s Jin dynasty built up Zongdu debuting the present Beijing’s construction. Mongolian Kublai khan established world-class Yuan Empire celebrated for capital Xanadu, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, and trade checkpoints on silk road in Italian travler Marco Polo’s record, with strong military controlling wide territory cross Europe and Asia. Moving from Helin, Mongolian “northern artificial palace”, sheep and plant yard in Beijing showed the wealth in the world.
Until 1911, the following 2 dynasty, except for Nanjing when Emperor Ming Hungwu Zhu Yuan-zang and his grandson ruled, all stuck capital in Beijing. In addition to Yongle Encyclopedia, Ming Emperor Yongle built up Forbidden City, by moon’s rule, for the use of official and royal livings. In Qing is more abundant inclined to political aspect rather than economics, such as paintings by Lan Shi-nin (Giuseppe Castiglione) and technology innovated by Nan Huai-ren (Ferdinand Verbiest) with foreign friendship.
The ancient rebuilding capital’s plan on Xi’an is put into practice as the most active and financial one among the competition of these “teams”. Knowing so much chacters of ancient capital, tourists don’t forget attention to Chinese beauty like Shaanxi-born CCTV’s anchorwoman Hu Diae on aesthetics view and say whether you’re in good fortunate. Next time when you linger on ancient capitals, be lingering in the mind with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Sus “The Last Emperor”.
筆者回應的是經濟學者網頁「Pingyao - In Bankings Shadow」雜誌原文如下：
Pingyao
In banking’s shadow
A former financial hub now begs for the patronage of tourists
Print edition | China
Oct 18th 2014
ITALIAN cities such as Florence and Venice have long made a mint from the architectural wonders built when they were financial centres. China has been slower to capitalise on the physical remains of past commercial glory in Pingyao, an urban backwater in inland Shanxi province, which was China’s banking hub in the 19th century. Today tourists flock to the walled city, with its unusually well-preserved houses built between the 17th and 19th centuries. But restoring its former wealth remains elusive.
The most-visited attraction in modern Pingyao is the Rishengchang Draft Bank, which in 1823 became the first in China to issue cheques. The city lay on the path of a lucrative trade route. The bank’s manager spied a business opportunity when he saw silver shipments passing each other in opposite direction. He replaced pricey security, wagons and pack animals with a clearing house.
The bank spawned around 50 competitors across Shanxi (nearly half in Pingyao) with hundreds of branches across the empire. At the time Chinese bankers were held in lower esteem than peasants and tradesmen. They tried to keep staff honest by making them pledge their homes and even to surrender their families as slaves if they committed fraud; investors had no control over the banks’ daily operations.
But it was not the staff that did for the banks. They collapsed soon after the Qing dynasty’s demise in 1911. The government withdrew its remittance business, currency unification removed the need for the silver trade between cities and competition grew from modern banks.
Pingyao’s ensuing poverty proved to be its saviour. Its picturesque grid of traditional imperial houses survived when most elsewhere succumbed to Mao’s hatred of the old and his successors’ love of the new. Now it has reinvented itself. Around 1.5m people visited Pingyao in 2013, up from around 50,000 in 1997 when UNESCO named it a world heritage site.
Hope that the streets would again be lined with silver are overblown. The benefits of the tourist boom are spread only narrowly. A small, spruced-up central area thrums with visitors enjoying the curved rooftops, traditional façades, red lanterns and, strangely, Mao memorabilia. Beyond the centre, many streets look like slums: roofs slump, walls are crumbling and waste is carried away by a horse rather than sewers. Few can afford to fix up their homes, even with financial support from the government and the California-based Global Heritage Fund, a charity that is helping to preserve some of China’s historical sites.
To declutter the town, four-fifths of the city’s population have been moved outside the city walls since 1997. But the new town’s hotels and karaoke halls are often empty. A high-speed rail link that opened in July running from the nearby provincial capital, Taiyuan, to Xi’an (home of the crowd-pulling Terracotta Army) should draw the crowds. But ease of access also means ease of retreat: most sightseers come only for the day. Making money from moving people around China may prove harder than profiting from the movement of silver.
Once the financial capital of Chinas last emperors, the Qing, Pingyaos claim to tourism fame comes from none other than famed director Zhang Yimou. He immortalized its perfectly-preserved Chinese architecture in his film Raise the Red Lantern. Amateur photographers and videographers have been wandering Pingyao streets, shutters snapping, ever since.
字體：小 中 大
In China, the location of capital is usually chosen for ruler’s approach of each historic state’s development. The earliest in chronology is the relic of Erlitou culture of Xia dynasty. A symbol of one state, tripod (called “Din” in Chinese) since King Yu, the Chinese first dynasty Xias founder, defined nine blocks, is always fixed up in the capital’s hall where Chinese historical rulers summoned powerful officials and the trusted relative aide. Thus, surrounding "Din", Chinas capital was crucial for unity in monarchy age for 4100 years until Qings fall in 1911.
In the period of Warring States, the capital, such as Lintz of Chi State or Xianyang of Qin State which finally unified China first in B.C. 221, was built not only for the military savings of expansion to other state in Zhou dynasty but the prosperity of business, industry and fortune as a result of tax incoming in segregate. Since then, Chinese historical capital, often represented as contemporary political and cultural central, inherited a variety of precious asset one after another generation. Also seen in historic cinema or TV drama, the tall city wall, pastly for security use, remains now as tourist destination. Focusing on this kind of construction may be an instant way of both economics and educational improvement, moreover in accord to some art decoration, which may be affiliated with the cultivation tour.
The prevailing of Chinese dynasty mostly depends on the founder’s military competency. Each age owns its unique style, affecting each capital’s arrangement and each state’s outline of historic development. Basically, it had been a long period that Chinese dynastys capital located in and around Huang He, generally seen as the origin of Chinese culture, like Chang’an (now Xi’an) and Luoyang in Han dynasty.
In addition, owing to a split concern after Western Jin was annexed, Yangtze surroundings was faster developed for the immigration from provinces north of the river. Jianqang, now Nanjing, processed the “splendid six-dynasty culture”, like Liang Wudi’s writings with wooden carvings in Buddhism, with a spilt and relative steady security.
Meantime, the nomad in the north of Yangtze built numerous clan state. Among these competitors, Xianbei’s Northern Wei reached a biggest unity outside of southern dynasty’s counterpart. Pingchen, now Datong, and Luoyang, seen as main Northern Wei’s royal and loyalty’s location, still remains some as evidence showing the co-existence of nomad and Han people little before or after Emperor Xiaowen’s Han-combination policy while 6 military ports kept along Northern Wei’s border.
Several centuries later, Tang Empire owned a period of gorgeous prosperity on a basis of Chang’an’s grandiose planning of global metropolitan as brilliant as Baghdad, including multinational markets and livings for Chinese, European and Arabian, with various colourful poem and business style. After a short-time turmoil, Song dynasty, comprised of “flowering civilian multicultural”, built up in Bianjin, now Kaifeng. As a weaker nation than neighboring nomad, Song was famous for the romantic article and wrist defense. It’s mirrored on Zhang Ze-duan’s prominent shan-shui, “Along the river during Qing Ming festival”.
Southern Song was famous for neo-Confucianism and religion exchange and trade in water “silk road” with Japan and Islam. Linan, now Hangzhou, has been China’s centre of clothes industry since then. In the north, Chinese nomad prevailed again such as Nuzhen and Mongolian. Nuzhen’s Jin dynasty built up Zongdu debuting the present Beijing’s construction. Mongolian Kublai khan established world-class Yuan Empire celebrated for capital Xanadu, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, and trade checkpoints on silk road in Italian travler Marco Polo’s record, with strong military controlling wide territory cross Europe and Asia. Moving from Helin, Mongolian “northern artificial palace”, sheep and plant yard in Beijing showed the wealth in the world.
Until 1911, the following 2 dynasty, except for Nanjing when Emperor Ming Hungwu Zhu Yuan-zang and his grandson ruled, all stuck capital in Beijing. In addition to Yongle Encyclopedia, Ming Emperor Yongle built up Forbidden City, by moon’s rule, for the use of official and royal livings. In Qing is more abundant inclined to political aspect rather than economics, such as paintings by Lan Shi-nin (Giuseppe Castiglione) and technology innovated by Nan Huai-ren (Ferdinand Verbiest) with foreign friendship.
The ancient rebuilding capital’s plan on Xi’an is put into practice as the most active and financial one among the competition of these “teams”. Knowing so much chacters of ancient capital, tourists don’t forget attention to Chinese beauty like Shaanxi-born CCTV’s anchorwoman Hu Diae on aesthetics view and say whether you’re in good fortunate. Next time when you linger on ancient capitals, be lingering in the mind with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Sus “The Last Emperor”.