A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a more resistant layer or layers of harder rock, e.g. shales overlain by sandstones. The resistant layer acts as a caprock that forms the flat summit of a mesa. The caprock can consist of either sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone; dissected lava flows; or a deeply eroded duricrust. Unlike plateau, whose usage does not imply horizontal layers of bedrock, e.g. Tibetan Plateau, the term mesa applies exclusively to the landforms built of flat-lying strata. Instead, flat-topped plateaus are specifically known as tablelands.
Pingyao County, which belongs to Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, is located in the central part of Shanxi Province, bordering Jiexiu, Qixian, Wenshui, Fenyang, Qinyuan and other counties and cities, between longitude 112 °12mm east longitude 112 °31m, north latitude 37 °125mi 37 °21', north-south average length about 40 km, east-west width about 30 km, total area 1253.53 square km. Pingyao is a major cultural relic county in Shanxi Province, with more than 300 monuments. The traffic venation of the ancient city of Pingyao is composed of four main streets, eight small streets and 72 winding lanes. The Rishengchang ticket of "Huitong World" is known as "the ancestor of China's modern bank", Shuanglin Temple is known as "the treasure house of oriental colored sculpture art", and the ten thousand Buddha hall of Zhenguo Temple is one of the earliest existing wooden structures in China. Major scenic spots in Pingyao also include Pingyao.