The Ancient City of Pingyao has endured for 2,700 years and can boast that it remains nearly identical to its appearance during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. As one of the best-preserved ancient cities in China, it attracts many tourists from home and abroad each year. Yet the demands of preserving that rich history have the town facing a paradoxical dilemma -- in order to preserve the town it must force thousands of its residents to relocate, and this process has the town confronting unprecedented challenges.

The good news arrived in 1997 -- UNESCO placed Pingyao on its World Heritage List. Then the bad news -- if you lived in the city there was a good chance you'd be asked to find a new place to live, as the city government announced that half its population should move out by 2005 for the protection of the town. Thirteen years later, however, only 15,000 residents have moved out, which has left 35,000 residents still in the city -- 20,000 is the presumed maximum capacity, and what's more troubling for city administrators is that recently the population has been increasing.

Handyman Zhang Yumin, 47, mounts his shabby, creaking tricycle each morning and sets out to earn money to support his family. The tricycle clanks and rattles as it labors over the stone streets.

Zhang and his family live in a tiny 15-square-meter room with a bed occupying nearly half of it. Shelves, wardrobes, kitchenware, a stove and a second-hand TV leave little room for maneuver. There's no heating system in the town, so they have to burn coal and firewood in winter. Before his son headed to college, Zhang, his wife and son slept on the same bed while their daughter had to live with her grandmother.

"I can earn as much as 1,500 yuan (US$225.37) a month, which barely supports the whole family," Zhang said with a sigh. He gives his son 800-900 yuan (US$120.2-135.22) every month for his living expenses and pays his daughter's 2,500-yuan (US$375.61) tuition each semester.

Zhang's circumstances are not rare in Pingyao. Life outside the ancient town offers more conveniences, with hospitals, schools and public buses, but leaving is extremely difficult. Like Zhang, most residents have low-income jobs and are barely making ends meet. With limited subsidies available, they cannot afford housings in the new area, which cost from 2,000 to 3,000 yuan (US$300.49-450.74) per square meter.