Located 800 kilometres to the south-west of Beijing in the province of Shanxi, Pingyao is one of the most ancient cities in China. It was here that bank notes were first invented in the 12th century. Protected by six kilometres of ramparts that remain intact today, this Han city was miraculously able to conserve its palaces, temples and houses inherited from the Ming and Qing dynasties as well as from four large banking families. These architectural gems saw the city being listed in 1997 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.