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Best Things to Do
Popular Best Things to Do in Shiping [2025]
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Shiping Ancient City
4.7
/5
77 reviews
5.3
Based on 2 reviews
947m from downtown
Address: No. 4 Xishan Road, Shiping County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture
Recommended sightseeing time: 2-3 hours
No. 1 of Night Attractions in Shiping
Highlights:
Historic house & charming waterways
10 academies & 100 private schools
65% positive reviewsRecently viewed by 1,000+ people
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Shiping Ancient City, located in Shiping County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, boasts a thousand-year history and is known as the "Ming and Qing Dynasty Folk House Museum of Southern Yunnan." The following is a detailed introduction:
History
Shiping boasts a long history, having been part of the Chu region during the Qin Dynasty and Shengxiu County during the Han Dynasty. Shiping Ancient City was first built in the late Tang Dynasty and expanded through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties to its present size.
Architectural Features
●Street Layout: The ancient city retains a relatively intact layout of historical buildings and alleyways, paved with bluestone slabs in the past. Adhering to traditional feng shui principles, the city is narrow from north to south and long from east to west, shaped like a horizontally rounded turtle's back. The turtle's head extends eastward to the Hairi Gate, while the turtle's tail extends westward to the Baoxiu Gate, with the city forming the turtle's body. The streets and alleys are divided into more than ten sections of varying sizes, arranged like the lobes on a turtle's back, suggesting a Bagua formation, which later evolved into a Jiugong formation. The central "Zhouqianpu" (State Front Station) houses the ancient state government office and Zhutian Temple, forming the center of the Jiugong formation. Every street and alley is curved, some with as many as five or six turns. The two long streets running from south to north also intersect at the entrance to the ancient street.
●Architectural Preservation: The entire national historical and cultural district covers a total protected area of 40.75 hectares. Over 70% of the traditional buildings from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China remain well-preserved, with structures from the Yuan and Ming dynasties also preserved. The 29 streets and alleys within the city resemble cracks in a tortoise shell, and private gardens are clustered together. The ancient city is home to numerous ancient buildings, including the Temple of Confucianism, the Temple of Martial Arts, and the Bell and Drum Tower.
Culture and Education
●Emphasis on Education and Culture: Over its two thousand years of history, the city has created a brilliant cultural legacy. Since the Yuan Dynasty, education and culture have been a priority. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were 10 academies and hundreds of private schools and charity schools.
●Outstanding Talent: Historically, this area has produced 640 Juren (Juren), 77 Jinshi (Jinshi), and 15 Hanlin (Hanlin). In the late Qing Dynasty, it also produced Yuan Jiagu, the nation's only top scorer in the special economics exam. ● Cultural Symbols: The Confucian Temple within the ancient city houses a statue of Confucius, a symbol of Confucian culture; the Martial Temple houses a statue of Guan Yu, embodying the heroic spirit of the Chinese nation. Yuping Academy, the largest academy in Shiping's history, is now a museum.
Folklore
Legend has it that Shiping Ancient City was built on the back of a giant divine turtle floating on the water. The water was revealed by drilling through the shell. The five deep wells in the east, west, south, north, and center of the ancient city served as the pillars that held the divine turtle in place as it fled to the sea.
Travel Experiences
● Strolling the Ancient City: Visitors can explore the crisscrossing streets and alleys, immersing themselves in the city's historical context and experiencing the locals' life from sunrise to sunset. They can also observe residents enjoying a leisurely time and explorers seeking cultural charm.
● Dining: A variety of local delicacies are available, such as cross-bridge rice noodles, tofu dumplings, and Shiping duck.
● Accommodation Options: Numerous hotels and inns are available within the ancient city, offering affordable, clean, and comfortable accommodations. In recent years, in order to protect the style and texture of the ancient city, Shiping County has continuously improved its infrastructure construction. The "small but exquisite, authentic and beautiful" style of the ancient city has attracted more and more tourists.
Shiping Ancient City, an ancient construction treasure buried due to the remote geography! It is quietly located on the bank of Yilong Lake in Honghezhou, like a beautiful pearl, waiting for people to come here to intimate contact with it. The ancient years are clearly visible in the fully preserved ancient construction! The ancient city of Shiping is like a heavy history book, recording the traces of the years, inheriting the charm of history. Through the smooth and natural lines, the simple and elegant architectural shape, the world can deeply absorb the deep cultural heritage of this ancient city.
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