Travel to Rishengchang Draft Bank & Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian

1. Rishengchang Draft Bank

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, merchants organized commercial groups that engaged in business nationwide, with Shanxi Province China tour deals having some of the most important ones and Pingyao as the center. The Xiyucheng dye store on Xi Da Jie dealt in remittance and in 1824 became the first draft bank in China, dealing in bank drafts rather than in silver or gold money. Known as Rishengchang (Sunrise Prosperity), it was the coerstone of mode Chinese banking.

During the hundred years that draft banking lasted in China, Pingyao became the hub as other local merchants opened similar banks. Branch banks were soon set up in major cities in China and in Asia, leading to great prosperity in Pingyao, with its subsequent economic, cultural and societal development. Courtyards became more oate, streets, shops and stores were developed, enlarged or improved, and its products, such as lacquer ware and clay sculptures, became well known.

Rishengchang (Sunrise Prosperity)
The first draft bank of China, Rishengchang best tours of China, is situated in the busiest section of Xi Da Jie, which used to be the First Street in the Qing Dynasty. The original site of Rishengchang occupied 2,324 square meters. The land used is arranged in a compact layout of buildings with definite functions. Although it was only a small compound, it was a forerunner of mode banking and once manipulated the economic lifelines of the whole Qing Dynasty in the 19th century.

2. Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian

Located in Yingxian County popular China tour package, and about 70 kilometers south of Datong, the Wooden Pagoda is the oldest and highest wooden structure in China. It is regarded as the 'First Pagoda in the World' and a gem in the architectural field. It has now also been placed under national emphases under the Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Built during the Liao Dynasty (about 1056), this wooden pagoda has about 900 years of history. It has a height of about 67 meters, and a 30 meter long diameter at its bottom. The Pagoda appears as a five-storey structure, but in fact it has a total of nine stories with four hidden inside. The Wooden Pagoda was built with about 54 different kinds of brackets, and jointed only by the tenors and mortises without any nails or rivets at all! With a unique octagon structure in each tier, and a special designed lightning top, the pagoda can still stand firmly and remains intact. It continues to reveal its exquisite quality in a rustic, simple manner, despite the long exposure to the elements, violent earthquakes and intense thunderbolt. The wind bells hung under each eave add more interest to this wooden pagoda. When the wind blows, the little bells make sweet sounds.

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