Chinese Armed Escort Agency Museum 中国镖局博物馆

If you remember, Pingyao was the financial center of China back in the Qing dynasty. There was a lot of wealth which passes through these streets and it is, undoubtedly, very prosperous. When you think about it. This was imperial China when there were a lot of bandits running around. If you have seen Chinese movies about imperial China you would know what I mean. As a result, the transport of wealth became very important. Back then you didn’t have the armored vehicles you have now. Instead you hire escorts, armed escorts.

As the name implies, the institutions of Pingyao would hire armed escorts or bodyguards to safeguard the wealth that is being transported in and out of the ancient town. The financial institutions of Pingyao have branches in other cities in China and considering that there was only animal powered transportation, this made for a very, very long trip. This makes it a perfect prey for these bandits hence the need for armed escorts. This was the place which serves as an agency for these armed escorts. You come here, they provide the muscle.

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