At present, the building date of Shi Building in Pingyao cannot be figured out. The earliest time recorded is the 27th year of Kangxi era in the Qing Dynasty (In 1688) when the Building was repaired. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties when Shanxi merchants dominated in China, the market in Pingyao enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. All those in power paid attention to improving the city’s appearance, and businesses also vied to fund the efforts. Shi Building was repaired several times in the middle and late Qing Dynasty and the late 20th century. The 18.5-meter high building is a triple-eave wooden frame tower with a gable and hip roof covered with yellow and green glazed tiles. The bottom floor is square, with three rooms in both width and depth. The passage from south to north in the middle bisects the floor, with brick stylobates on east and west sides, columns on four corners, and brick-covered wall. Normally, a cross street from east to west should be built as the Building is located at “Tianxinshidao” (the center of the courtyard) of Pingyao City. Instead, Shi Building was designed in the light of local conditions. Arches on both stylobates converging with South Street form a symbolic cross passage. Colorful glazed tiles on the roof are inlaid with the patterns of “Xi” (a Chinese character meaning double happiness) and “Shou” (a Chinese character meaning longevity). Shi Building is also called “Jinjing Building” for the obscure reason that “the golden well” of that time sits on the central pavement of the downstairs.