Pingyao's city wallsThe city walls of Pingyao were constructed in the 3rd year of the Hongwu Emperor (1370). The walls have six barbican gates. The north and south sides have one gate each. The east and west sides have two gates each. This pattern is similar to that of a turtle (the head, tail, and four legs), earning Pingyao the moniker "Turtle City." The walls measure about 12 meters high, with a perimeter of 6,000 meters. A 4-meter wide, 4-meter deep moat can be found just outside the walls. Aside from the four structured towers at the four corners, there are also 72 watchtowers and more than 3,000 battlements.
,br> In 2004, part of the southern walls collapsed but have been reconstructed. However, the rest of the city walls are still largely intact and are considered among the most well-preserved ancient city walls of this scale. This makes the city walls the centerpiece of the Heritage Site. Included as part of the Heritage Site are Zhenguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple, Pingyao Shrine, etc.