平遙古城熠熠生輝

位于山西省中部的平遙古城，距省城太原100公里，是一座保存完好的明清古城。1997年12月3日，聯合國教科文組織將平遙古城列入《世界遺產名錄》，自從獲得這一殊榮后，平遙城更加吸引了國內外眾多的旅游者前往觀光旅游。人們在這里能夠尋訪到那寫滿滄桑歷史文化的城廓街巷，捕捉到那充滿濃厚地域色彩的人文景觀。

平遙古城的歷史，幾乎與中華民族有文字記載以來的傳統一樣古老。平遙史稱“古陶”，古屬冀州地；春秋時為晉國屬地；戰國時屬趙國；秦始皇統一中國后，屬太原郡；西漢置京陵、中都二縣；北魏時改名為“平遙”，爾后歷代沿用此名，迄今已有1500余年的歷史。

平遙古城值得一游的地方很多，尤以城墻、民居和街巷為最佳選擇。平遙古城墻原為夯土城垣，始建于西周宣王時期(前827-前782年)，明洪武三年(1370年)，出于軍事防御的需要，在原西周舊城垣的基礎上擴建為今天的磚石城墻。明朝中、晚期時曾有過修繕，現在基本保持著明初城墻建筑的形制結構，它規模宏大，氣勢雄偉。古城墻平面呈方形，周長6157.7米，高約12米，寬為5米。墻身系土夯實，外包青磚。環周每隔50米有一個城臺，臺上筑堞樓72座，垛口3000個，傳說這是孔子72賢人、3000弟子的象征。一座軍用城墻，配以文道之設施，充分展現了中國古代左祖右社、寺廟對稱、文武相襯的一一對應的理念。

我拾階登上城墻，俯拍民居的高墻深院、仰拍城臺高聳的堞樓，長槍短炮，盡情享用。攝影之余，我在城墻上踽踽而行，不經意間發現城墻下方的一處民居大院內有戶人家正在扎制大紅燈籠。一打聽，才知道平遙古城的許多人家都有逢年過節扎制燈籠的習俗，一是表示喜慶，二是可以拿到街上去換些零花錢。當主人們將扎制好的燈籠搬運到院外的空閑處時，我便不失時機地按下快門，抓拍下了《扎燈人家》的照片。就是這幅偶然拾得的照片，在隨后的一次全國攝影比賽中獲了獎。我在城墻上足足花了三個小時走完一圈，無論是從城墻的哪個方位，哪個角度鳥瞰平遙古城街道院落，都會感到是那樣的賞心悅目、心曠神怡，讓人從心底里嘆服古城墻不愧是一件瑰麗的藝術精品。

平遙古城的民居建筑極為講究，頗具地方特色，它時間跨度大，保存非常完整。古城現存的古民居建筑達3800處之多，其中官宦宅邸的威風、大戶人家的闊綽、小康家室的謹嚴、下層民戶的簡樸甚至寒酸，都在人前盡顯無遺，這是一幅看不夠、道不盡的風情畫卷。我來到位于上西門書院街的3號院，這里是平遙日升昌票號的首任掌柜雷履泰的舊居。雷履泰是中國票號的開山鼻祖，該院約建于清道光年間，是一處保存相當完好的商人住宅，舊居為前后兩進院，結構布局為轎桿式院落。根據民間的習俗觀念，坐轎是一種榮華富貴的象征，把居宅設計成坐轎的格局，意為對榮華的一種祈求。該院宅南廳面寬3間，雙坡硬山頂，建于高臺基上。中廳3間前后半廊，結構與南廳相近，正廳3間前帶廊檐，下窯上樓，單坡瓦頂，圍廊裝修完整。院宅并不豪華，但很實用，結構安排只講堅穩而不求豪奢，建造工藝樸實無華但用料得當，這充分反映了一位金融家豐厚的家財和務實的創業精神。

古城民居里的百姓非常好客，不忌諱陌生人拍照。當我在一處普通民宅大院里拍照時，主人不僅帶領我房前屋后地逐一參觀，還仔細地給我講起房屋修建的歷史及其風格。當我拍完照片收拾好器材準備離開時，好客的主人竟端出一碗香氣四溢的茶水招待我，此情此景真令我感動。

街巷是城市的血脈，時間的流逝直接映現在這些四通八達的狹長街巷上。古城有4條大街、8條小街、72條蚰蜒巷，其形如同龜甲上的八卦圖案，經緯交織，井井有條，動靜相宜，主次分明。我這個外來人對古城區街巷不熟悉，于是包租了一輛人力三輪車，在古城區的街巷里穿行。哪里的民居有特點，哪里的古巷最出彩，三輪車夫都了如指掌，儼然成了我的導游員。我們隨走隨停，隨停隨拍，感覺真爽!

山西是我國金融業發展的濫觴，晉商是清代三大金融系統(晉商、徽商、潮商)之首，控制著大清國的經濟命脈。而平遙又集中了全國最大的票號富商，成為重要的商貿集散地。清道光三年(1823年)，全國第一家票號——日升昌就在平遙崛起。這是中國金融發展史上匯兌開始的里程碑，具有劃時代的歷史意義。在以后的歲月里，隨著晉商的不斷發展，平遙縣城內的票號最盛時期已經達到22家，設有分號404處，日升昌票號信用顯赫，遠近聞名，有“匯通天下”之美稱。著名學者、作家余秋雨先生訪問這里后，稱贊大名鼎鼎的日升昌是中國大地上各式銀行的“鄉下祖父”，也是中國金融發展史上一個里程碑所在。歷史的車輪轉到今天，在體現明清時期平遙商業無比繁榮的南大街和西大街上，如今古店鋪、古商號仍然鱗次櫛比，雍容華貴；古招牌，古字匾仍然比比皆是，格外醒目。熙熙攘攘的游人在古街巷上行走，似乎是想盡情地享受平遙古城帶給他們的古樸時光。我來到位于西大街南側的日升昌舊址駐足良久，是想細細地感受和體味它昨日那些燦爛輝煌的歷史。

平遙古城是一部讀不完的百科知識全書，看不盡的民俗風情長畫，它是人民的財富，國家的瑰寶。

Ancient City of Pingyao

Story and Photographs by Zhou Jinping

The Ancient City of Pingyao is a well preserved ancient town 100 kilometers from Taiyuan， capital city of Shanxi Province. On December 3， 1997， it was listed as UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage. Since then， the ancient city has attracted large numbers of tourists both from home and abroad.

Pingyao dates back to a time when the Chinese nation began to write down its history. In different dynasties its administrative system and name changed time and again， but approximately 1，500 years ago the name of the city changed to its current one during the Northern Wei Kingdom.

Today's Pingyao looks like what it was during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911). The most attractive sights in Pingyao are the city wall， civil residences， and streets and lanes.

The city wall， which first appeared during the reign of the Emperor Xuan of the Western Zhou (827-782B.C.)， was made of soil compaction. In 1370 during the reign of the Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty， it was turned into a brick wall for the military purpose. It was later repaired twice during the Ming Dynasty. The magnificent rectangular wall is 6，157.7 meters in circumference， 12 meters high and 5 meters wide. The body was made of compacted soil， consolidated by an external layer of black bricks. On the wall there are 72 battlements distanced at an interval of 50 meters and 3，000 crenels. It took me three hours to complete a stroll along the wall-top path. Armed with cameras that looked like guns， I roamed on the city wall and looked down into the city. It was during a stroll on the city wall that I caught a glimpse of a family making red lanterns in a large compound. I descended the wall and talked with them. I learned that local people were in the habit of making red lanterns in celebration of traditional festivals. They were making lanterns to sell for some pocket money. When they were moving the lanterns to an open field outside the courtyard， I clicked my cameras. One picture later won an award at a national photograph competition.

The architectural style of the residences in the city is quite exquisite. More than 3，800 houses that still stand there today were built in ancient times. Official residences are magnificent; business people's houses are showy; well-off families built their houses in a compact style. Low-income people's houses look simple or shabby. One of the houses I visited was once owned by Lei Lutai， a merchant who set up the first exchange house in the Chinese history. Built in the years of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty， the house was modeled after a sedan chair， a sign of fortune and dignity in the local folk belief. The house does not look luxurious but it is solid and functional. The architectural style shows the tycoon's fortune and his pragmatic entrepreneurial spirit.

The ancient town is crisscrossed by 4 main thoroughfares， 8 side streets， and 72 zigzagging lanes. They form a pattern of the Eight Diagrams. Time flows through them. I hired a tricycle to tour the town. The rider knew every inch of the city and willingly doubled as my guide.

Shanxi was where China's modern banking industry started. Businessmen from the province were one of the dominant groups that played a big part in the Qing Dynasty's economy. Pingyao had the largest private banks in the country during that time. The first exchange house was set up in 1823 there. It was an epoch-making event that marked the beginning of China's money remittance and transfers. In the following years， bankers from the province expanded their business across the country. At one time， 22 national exchange houses were headquartered in Pingyao and they controlled 404 branches all together across the country. Today， the main streets still have the signs of these exchange houses and other shops in the ancient time.