Mutouyu in northern Shaanxi, one of China's most beautiful ancient villages

Lying to the south of the urban area of Jia County, Yulin City, Mutouyu Village is dubbed the "First Village of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon." The ancient village attracts the attention of tourists and artists from across China and around the world, thanks to its unique ancient dwellings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and to its picturesque scenery.

The ancient dwellings in Mutouyu Village exist in two clusters, the first one called the Front Beach and the second one the Rear Beach. The two, running in parallel to each other from east to west as two village streets, are joined together by a square where an opera house stands. Both ends of either street are connected to small alleys in a neat fashion. Each dwelling has a square courtyard that consists of a primary building, a smaller room on either one of its flanks, a covered passageway in front of the primary building, and a gate. The courtyard and the buildings in it look very spectacular.