Pingle Ancient Town is a historical and cultural town with a history of more than two thousand years. It is located in Qionglai City, 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Chengdu. You can see traditional stilt houses by the Baimo River, streets paved with blue stones, banyan trees aged over one thousand years, and exuberant and boundless bamboo woods. Everything here relaxes and refreshes tourists. The 'Nine Antique Heritages' of the town are ancient residences and streets, old banyan trees, ancient temples, the Golden Dam, the time-honored Leshan Bridge, folk activities, traditional paper workshops, local folk songs, and an ancient post road.
Ancient Residences and Streets
Pingle Ancient Town was an essential wharf in the past, with residences and streets gathered along the river. The buildings of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in the town cover a total area of 59 acres (24 hectares), including 22 ancient streets. Most of the buildings have two floors. The first floor is a store, while the second floor is where local people live. The roofs of these buildings are decorated with blue tiles. Among them, the Li Family Courtyard is the highlight of the ancient buildings in west Sichuan for its large scale and delicate design.
Old Banyan Trees
Pingle Ancient Town owns numerous old banyans which were planted in the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty (960-1279). These trees are 1,000 years to 1,500 years old. The diameters of their crowns exceed 66 feet (20 meters). Take a stroll along the streets planted with these trees, you will feel like you are back in ancient times.
Ancient Temples
Pingle Ancient Town has a strong ambience of religious culture. There are a great number of famous temples. The Heavenly Officer Temple in Jinhua Mountian is famous for the Moya Giant Buddha that is solemn and vivid. The Guanyin Bodhisattva Monastery of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) features bronze sculpture and the 33 embodiments of the Bodhisattva.
Golden Dam
It was recorded that Yu the Great, the first emperor of the Xia Dynasty (21st -17th Century BC), scattered gold over the Baimo River to make a dam in order to prevent the heavy floods in Pingle. Thus, the dam was called the Golden Dam. From then on, the floods were controlled, and the fields were well irrigated. Later in the Qing Dynasty, the dam was renovated with bamboo baskets filled with pebbles, making it firm and stable.
Time-honored Leshan Bridge
The seven-span Leshan Bridge was constructed in 1861 during the Qing Dynasty. It measures 120 meters (394 feet) in length, 10 meters (33 feet) in width, and 17 meters (54 feet) in height. It is renowned as the 'First Bridge in South Qionglai', and the largest ancient stone bridge in Sichuan.
Folk Activities
The folk activities in Pingle Ancient Town are very colorful and interesting, including the Guanyin Bodhisattva Fair on February, 19th in Chinese lunar calendar, the City God Temple Fair on the 11th of the third lunar month, the Mountain God Fair on the 6th of the sixth lunar month, the River Lantern Show on the Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day), and the lion dance and ox dance from the 1st to the 15th of the first lunar month. Moreover, the Sichuan Opera has been very popular among the local since the Qing Dynasty.
Traditional Paper Workshops
The traditional paper workshops originated from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and prospered in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. 74 sites of paper workshops have been founded along the hills in the town.
Local Folk Songs
The local folk songs were invented by people who worked in the paper workshops. In ancient times, it required great efforts to crush the bamboo to make paper. To cheer themselves up, workers sang songs as they worked. With the advancement of social economy, the labor has been replaced by machines. Fortunately, the local work songs remain as a witness to history.
Ancient Post Road
The site of the ancient post road on the Dragon Riding Mountain (Qilong Mountain) in the town is well-preserved. As the relic of the Southern Silk Road, the post road of the Qin Dynasty (221BC -207BC) and Han Dynasty (202BC -220AD) winds along the mountain. The road was paved with huge pebbles, and high walls were built on both sides of it.
Attractions around Pingle Ancient Town
Apart from the town itself, the scenic spots near the Pingle Ancient Town are also fascinating, including the Folk Customs Courtyard, Lugou Natural Scenic Area, Jinhua Mountain Scenic Area, Golden Chicken Valley, and Huaqiu Mountain Scenic Area.
The Folk Customs Courtyard, known as the 'Live Cultural Heritage' and the 'Pastoral Scene in Memory', is where folk craftsmanship and agricultural culture are well retained. The Lugou Natural Scenic Area is 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) northwest of the Pingle Ancient Town. It is known as the "Green Corridor and Natural Oxygen Bar". The Golden Chicken Valley to the southwest of the town is characterized by a sea of bamboos, a cable bridge, rock climbing and other outdoor activities.
Local Products
Bamboo Weaving Porcelain
The bamboo weaving porcelain dates back to the Qing Dynasty. Local craftsmen use bamboo filaments to weave animals, birds, flowers, human, and other patterns on quality porcelains. As a unique bamboo weaving art in China, the exquisite bamboo-waved vases, cups, stationery, tea sets, wine sets and paintings are quite popular among tourists.
Huaqiu Tea
Huaqiu is a time-honored tea growing area. The Huaqiu tea was listed in the imperial drinks of the Qing Dynasty. Satisfied with the good quality of the tea, Emperor Kangxi bestowed upon Huaqiu a plaque inscribed with 'The First Tea Growing Area under Heaven'. Nowadays, Huaqiu Imperial Tea and Huaqiu Snow Bud Tea are popular with tourists both from home and abroad.
How to Get to Pingle Ancient Town from Chengdu
Take a direct bus to the town from Xinnanmen Bus Station. The buses leave at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, and 13:00. The trip takes about 2 hours, and the fare is CNY 33.
Take a bus to Qionglai from Chadianzi Bus Station, Xinnanmen Bus Station, Shiyangchang Bus Station, or East Railway Station Bus Station. Upon arrival, take a Qionglai Bus 304 to the town.
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