Market Tower

Updated:2013-05-15 09:42
( chinadaily.com.cn)

Market Tower

There is no exact record of when this was built, with historical records only indicating that the first renovation of the tower was in 1688, or the 27th year of the Kangxi emperor, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The businessmen of Shanxi, referred to as the Jinshang, formed one of what became the most successful business groups in China, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and Pingyao was a hometown. There was a rapid development in commerce and trade during that period of time and governments gave a lot of attention to the city’s image, so businessmen would vie with each other to contribute funds for its development.

The market tower underwent renovations during the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty. It has a triple-eave wood structure 18.5 meters tall, with green and yellow glazed tile on the roof and eaves. There is a spacious first floor with a north-south tunnel. Each corner of the building has a pillar with inscriptions on it.

The tower was located at the town’s central crossroads and should have had openings to the east and the west, but instead, there were arches on the two walls to form a fake crossroads with the north-south street crossing the first floor.

The colored glazed tiles on the roof and eaves form the Chinese characters for happiness and longevity as an auspicious sign. The area around the tower was the most prosperous business area of the town, with a morning, noon, and evening market every day, hence the current name. What was less known to the common folk was that there was a well hidden beneath the first floor in which water blinked golden light, so its alias was Gold Well Tower.

The tower was registered as a cultural relic with provincial protection, by the provincial government, on Jan 12, 1996.