Pingyao

One of China's best-preserved walled merchant cities, Pingyao was the financial capital of the Qing dynasty empire through the ticket-draft banking system that originated here. The Ming city wall circuit, six-kilometre market street, and dozens of courtyard bank premises are almost entirely intact within the UNESCO heritage zone. The Rishengchang Exchange Shop — considered the first draft bank in China — is now a museum on the main street.