World Heritage Site Pingyao - China Money Mansion Museum

#0YenTravel2025Autumn

Located in a corner of Pingyao Ancient City in Shanxi Province, the China Money House Museum is a museum that utilizes the building of a financial institution that was actually used during the Qing Dynasty.

Here, you can learn how people deposited and sent money in China before the birth of modern banks.

💰 What are money houses?

"Money houses" are private financial institutions that developed in southern China from the Qing Dynasty through the early Republican period.

In the north, a similar system called "piaohao" existed, and both are the precursors to what we now call "banks."

They played an important role in supporting the economy of the time, allowing remittances between distant cities and holding funds for merchants.

🏛 Museum Highlights

The museum is housed in a substantial stone building.

Inside, you'll find the old accounting office, safe, and an underground safe that was once in use, all preserved as they were.
With displays of dolls recreating the craftsmen and bankers of the time, as well as silver bars (horseshoe silver), account books, and transaction slips, the museum will make you feel as if you've traveled back in time.
There's also a secret underground passageway where you can see the system used to safely store and transport gold and silver.
It's a space where you can really get a sense of the ingenuity used by Pingyao's merchants of the past to protect their precious money.

🌆 In the Historic City of Pingyao
Pingyao Ancient City, where this museum is located, is a beautiful ancient city that is a World Heritage Site.
Buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties still remain on both sides of the cobblestone streets, making it feel like a set for a period drama.
Strolling down Ming and Qing Yitiao Street, the main street of the city, and visiting the Risheng Changbao and the China Money House Museum, you'll understand why Pingyao is known as the "birthplace of Chinese finance."

🕒 Before You Visit
• Location: Pingyao County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province (inside Pingyao Ancient City)
• Estimated Visiting Time: Approximately 30-60 minutes
• Admission Fee: Usually included in the Ancient City Tourist Pass
• Photography: Photography is permitted within certain areas of the museum
• Guide: Exhibit explanations are primarily in Chinese, with some English provided.

✨ A Quick Note
The cool air of the safe and the lingering smell of ink in the wooden accounting office...
The "history of money" may sound a bit stuffy, but here you can experience the wisdom and ingenuity of the people of the past firsthand. If you're in Pingyao, be sure to stop by.