Why is the ancient city of Pingyao in Shanxi called Guicheng?

Looking down from the air, Pingyao ancient city is completely in the shape of a chinemys reevesii, so it will be called Turtle City. Pingyao ancient city has a unique architectural style. There are six doors, two in the east, two in the west, two in the south and one in the north. If this shape is compared to an animal, people will naturally think of turtles. If the tortoise lies motionless in the north-south direction, the north-south gate of Pingyao ancient city is like the head and tail of the tortoise. East and west gates are the four legs of a tortoise.

Pingyao ancient city is not the architectural pattern of due south and due north, but the northwest-southeast pattern. What I want to tell you here is that only the palace is qualified to be due south and north, and other buildings cannot be the same as the palace. Besides, the ancient city of Pingyao is like a turtle lying on its back. If the architectural style is due south and north, it will give people the feeling that the turtle is about to run away. In addition, due to the special geographical location of Taiyuan Basin, many counties here are not in the style of due south and due north, such as Fenyang and other cities.

In ancient times, the tortoise was an animal symbolizing luck, which had similar meanings to dragon, phoenix and unicorn, and both symbolized good luck and longevity. If a person lives long, others will praise him for living long in the Year of the Tortoise. Besides, the ancients often named turtles, such as the famous Li Guinian. So turtles were auspicious things in ancient times, not indecent words.

From the early Ming Dynasty to the middle of last century, the world has been in turmoil and change for 600 years, and many cities were destroyed by war. Fortunately, Pingyao ancient city escaped all kinds of wars. So the Pingyao ancient city we see today is what it looked like when it was rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty, such as the city wall of Pingyao ancient city. When we stand under the city wall, it seems that we can feel the retrogression of time. Pingyao ancient city is now one of the most famous scenic spots in Shanxi, and many people come here to play every year. If you haven't been there yet, you can go there for a walk.