Rishengchang, Historic draft bank in Pingyao, China.

Rishengchang was a money exchange bureau in Pingyao with multiple courtyards and rooms for different business functions. The building preserves the spatial arrangement and furnishings from its time as a financial institution.

Its founding in 1823 marked the start of a modern banking system in China that used written accounts instead of counting tablets. This fundamentally changed how financial transactions were conducted.

The rooms show how merchants from Shanxi province conducted business here and built their trading networks. The place reflects their importance in Chinese commercial history.

The site is easy to reach on foot and the rooms are connected by regular stairs and corridors. Allow time to explore the different areas to understand how operations worked.

The draft used a 56-character coded rhyme as a cipher: "谨防假票冒取 勿忘细视书章" stood for the twelve months, a thirty-character verse for the days, and "国宝流通" for the units of silver. A remittance of 3,000 taels sent on 6 June was encoded as "取平多宝通". The cipher is displayed in the museum at 38 West Street.