阅读理解

　　Pingyao, in the center of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage(遗产)site．It’s 90 kilometers south of Taiyuan on the Fen River．

　　People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age．Its long period as a county government seat(县行政中心)has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history．Ninety-nine of them are under government protection, including Zhenguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Ancient City．

　　During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organized commercial(商业的)groups that did business nationwide．Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their center．In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang(also called Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank checks rather than in silver or gold coins．It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking．Branch(分支)banks were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao．Its lacquer ware(漆器)became well known．

　　In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition．Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi’s history and culture, but this large number is valuable for studying its history, customs, ancient buildings and art．Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people．

　　In 1997, Ancient Pingyao City was listed in World Heritage List as “World Culture Heritage Site”．