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Rishengchang Draft Bank

Rishengchang Draft Bank, located at No. 105 in Nanda Jie of Pingyao, was established in 1823 in the reign of the sixth Qing Emperor and was the first draft bank in China. It was China's forerunner for organizing Chinese finance system, handling remittance, money exchange, deposit, loan and other financial business.

Covering an area of 1,400 square meters, Rishengchang Draft Bank has twenty-one buildings around three courtyards on a north-south central axis. The counters are arranged on either side of the front yard. The bank specialized in payable bills, bills of exchange and money saving in China with a history of hundreds of years. There were 35 branches in China's big and medium-sized cities. Its business even extended to North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. For almost more than a century, Rishengchang exerted a monopolistic influence in the country.