Pingyao Ancient City is flooded and walls collapsed; heavy rains in Shanxi cause scenic spots to be closed

For Shanxi, this year's National Day holiday was not peaceful. October was different from previous years with clear and cool weather. Heavy rains covered many parts of Shanxi. Since the evening of October 2, many parts of Shanxi have continued to rain, with rainfall exceeding 200 mm in northern Linfen and southwestern Jinzhong. Landslides occurred in many places, and many houses in Pingyao Ancient City collapsed and ancient buildings were damaged.

On October 7, the rainfall in Shanxi finally stopped. However, the Shanxi Provincial Meteorological Bureau warned that due to the influence of the high-altitude trough, it is expected that the whole province of Shanxi will be cloudy and turn overcast on the 8th, with light rain or showers in most areas. The rain will intensify on the 9th, and there will be strong winds and cooling.

Partial collapse of an inner wall in Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi

At 6:30 am on October 5, due to heavy rainfall, the 84th inner wall of Pingyao Ancient City Wall partially collapsed, with a length of about 25 meters. No casualties have been caused so far. After the danger occurred, the local government and cultural relics experts rushed to the scene to deal with the situation as soon as possible.

At present, the rammed earth and bricks that have fallen off the surface have been cleaned up in time, isolation fences and warning signs have been set up at the collapsed section of the city wall, and the dangerous section of the wall has been covered and emergency treatment has been carried out to prevent secondary collapse and ensure the personal safety of residents and tourists in the ancient city. At the same time, the emergency rescue and repair procedures of the city wall have been connected and started.

The city wall is currently under repair

Not only the city walls were affected by the heavy rain, but also the local dilapidated houses suffered varying degrees of damage due to the rainstorm.

Tourist Xiao Lin happened to be in Pingyao Ancient City during the National Day holiday. According to him, the roofs of many shops in the ancient city were leaking to varying degrees. "Some used basins to catch the leaks, and some used towels to soak them." On the road leading to the county government office, some old houses had collapsed due to the heavy rain...

Mr. Yu said that there are many adobe houses in the ancient city, and the beams are all made of wood. They are old houses that are more than 50 or 60 years old and have long been uninhabited. They are not as solid as the shops on the street. Most of the houses that collapsed this time were of this type.

Staff said that at present, the city wall of Pingyao Ancient City, Tongxinggong Escort Agency and Shuanglin Temple outside the city are temporarily closed due to natural disasters, and the opening time is not yet determined. The remaining 19 attractions are open as usual.

In addition, on October 6, some scenic spots in Pingyao Ancient City were closed; on the 7th, Mianshan Scenic Area in Jinzhong City also announced a temporary closure; in addition, scenic spots such as Xierhe Scenic Area in Central Taihang Mountains in Shanxi, Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, and Wujin Mountain Tourist Area were all temporarily closed due to rainfall.

"Pingyao Ancient City Tourism" issued a reminder

1. Due to heavy rainfall for several days, many roads in the inner horse road of the ancient city are in dangerous conditions and are not passable. From now on, people and vehicles are prohibited from passing;

2. There is a risk of collapse of the exterior walls of houses in Xihujing Street and Yingwu Lane in the ancient city, and vehicles and people are now prohibited from passing through;

3. Some walls have collapsed in Shuyuan Street, Jiaochang Lane, Government Street, Chenghuangmiao Street, Shangximen Street, Fan Street, Nan Street, Wudaomiao Street, Haizi Street, Cang Lane, Wenmiao Street, and Helanqiao Street in the ancient city. Pedestrians and vehicles are requested to pass through dangerous sections carefully and quickly.