Pingyao County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in Jinzhong in central Shanxi Province, China. It is home to

Pingyao Ancient City Pingyao, officially Pingyao Ancient City, is a walled city in central Shanxi, China, famed for its importance in Chinese economic history and for its well-preserved Ming and Qing urban planning and architecture. Administratively, it comprises ...

, a AAAAA-rated tourist attraction, preserving a great deal of architecture from the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

dynasties. It spans an area of , and, as of

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, it had residents. The county government is seated in .

History

Pingyao County is home to Pingyao Ancient City, which has history dating back to approximately 800 BCE. The area has been incorporated since the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

, when it formed Zhongdu County (). On November 18, 2019, a coal mine operated by Fengyan Group suffered a gas explosion, killing 15 miners and injuring 9 others.

Geography

The Fen River runs through Pingyao County. The county's highest point, Baota Mountain, is approximately above sea level. Pingyao County is border by Qi County to its east,

Wenshui County Wenshui County () is a county in the west-central part of Shanxi Province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Lüliang Lüliang or Lyuliang () is a prefecture-level city in the west of Shanxi province, People' ...

to its north,

Fenyang Fenyang (), formerly as Fenyang County () before 1996, is a county-level city under the administration of Lüliang prefecture-level city, in Shanxi Province, China. Fenyang is located in the wide valley of the Fen River, some 20-plus kilometers w ...

to its west,

Jiexiu Jiexiu is a county-level city in the central part of Shanxi Province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Jinzhong and is located in the latter's western confines. Notable sites in and around Jiexiu include Mo ...

to its southwest,

Qinyuan County Qinyuan County () is a county in the south-central part of Shanxi province, China. It is the westernmost county-level division of Changzhi Changzhi () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering the provinc ...

to its south, and both Qin County and

Wuxiang County Wuxiang County () is a county in the southeast of Shanxi province, China. It is the northernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Changzhi Changzhi () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, ...

to its southeast.

Climate

Administrative divisions

Pingyao County administers three subdistricts, five

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

s and nine

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

Economy

As of 2018, the Pingyao County's GDP totaled ¥11.869 billion, a 7.5% increase from the previous year. The county's consumer retail sales totaled ¥6.801 billion, an 8.4% increase from the previous year, and its public budget revenue totaled ¥665 million, an increase of 35.7% from the previous year. 10.2% of Pingyao County's output came from its

primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in de ...

, 33.0% came from its

secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construction. ...

, and 56.8% came from its tertiary sector.

Agriculture

In 2018, the county produced 260,000 tons of grain, 570,000 tons of vegetables, and 190,000 tons of meat, eggs, and milk. The county grew 30,000 mu of corn, 15,000 mu of Chinese medicine ingredients, and sizable amounts of other grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Industry

Major industrial entities with operations in Pingyao County include the China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group,

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...

, Pingyao Beer, Higrand Biotech, Hesteel Group, Shanxi Liangyu Carbon, and Fengyan Group.

Tourism

In 2018, Pingyao County received 15,486,700 tourists. The same year, the China Cultural Fair included it in its list of "China's Most Beautiful Counties".

Transportation

The Datong–Puzhou railway and the Datong–Xi'an high-speed railway both run through the county.

National Highway 108 Route 108 or Highway 108 can refer to multiple roads: Canada * New Brunswick Route 108 * Ontario Highway 108 * Prince Edward Island Route 108 * Quebec Route 108 China * China National Highway 108 Costa Rica * National Route 108 (Costa Rica), N ...

and the Datong-Yuncheng Expressway also run through the county.

References

{{authority control Pingyao County Jinzhong