Pingyao was the undisputed financial headquarters of China during the Qing dynasty. Baichuan Tong, Rischengchang Exchange and Sie Tong Qing were three of the most powerful banks.

- Rishengchang Exchange Shop (Financial House Museum) …View image…is where a man named Li introduced a systems of checks and deposits. His system became a bank (established in1824) that prospered for over 100 years. It wasn’t until the Japanese invasion that Rishengchang closed. This museum had over 100 rooms, including offices, living quarters, kitchen and several old checks. Now, we had never stopped to think how banks operated before checks and deposits but once we saw the heavy old silver that had to be transported between towns, the light dawned.

bank sign description in Pingyao, China
You had to have armed carts and special heavy-duty carts to hold the weight of the silver stored in the vaults…

inside the underground bank vault in Pingyao, China 

a transport cart for silver in Pingyao, China
- The Xie Tong Qing Draft Bank …View image… allowed you to visit the underground vaults where the very heavy silver money and banknotes were kept, and all the banks had little museums with old money, photos, opium beds and

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old Chinese family photograph,Pingyao, China
There were more than 400 financial houses during Pingyao’s heyday, handling over 80,000,000 ounces of silver each year. Impressive statistics…
We also used the all-inclusive ticket to visit two more banks, a Commerce Building, few more temples…and investigated each and every shop looking for something different.

one family cooked on a little sidestreet in Pingyao, China
The guesthouse served wonderful food, had internet access and a very helpful little waitress who spoke some English. She acted as our go-between whenever we were misunderstood.

playing computer games in Pingyao, China 

sweet and helpful waitress in Pingyao, China