During the many thousand years when people livedin an agricultural society，the level of productiveforces was quite low.People took a simple ecologicaloutlook and created the best possible living environmentfor themselves by conforming to nature and buildinga suitable living environment using simple techniques.
Traditional Chinese homes were adapted to local naturalconditions and climate and drew of the rich sensitivity andaesthetic sensibility of their builders.Because the naturalconditions and cultural situation differed from place toplace，a great diversity of house styles appeared that wasrarely matched in the history of architecture.
Many traditional houses still exist in rural areas allaround the country，and people still think of them as theideal type of residence.
The ancient town of Shuhe is located in Lijiang inthe northwest part of Yunnan and was once an importanttown on the“ancient tea delivery road.”
Driving to Shuhe from Lijiang only requires following thepavement 7 kilometers towards Snow Mountain beforethe ancient village comes into view.This is Shuhe，the“land of clear springs，”also known as Longquan（DragonSprings）Village.
Shuhe is the location of one of the earliest settlements of Naxi people.Entering the ancient village you can directlyarrive at the central square in the style of SifangStreet in the ancient city of Lijiang.The square has a totalarea of 200 square meters and has become known as“Shuhe’s Sifang Street.”The four sides of the square arelined with shops and stores with ancient-style woodenfronts painted with bright red lacquer.Added to the shinyblack stones in front of the stores and the spotted stonewalkways，the square has a simple and natural feel.
West of Sifang Street at the foot of the mountains is alarge concentration of ancient dwellings.Most of the Naxidwellings in Shuhe are made of earth and wood，withearth，stone，and brick complementing the basic woodenframework.They are often built in a courtyard formationwith dwellings on three sides and a decorated screen wallon the entrance side，front courtyard and back courtyard，and one entrance leading to two courtyards.The firsttype is most basic and most often seen.The rural court yard formation with dwellings on three sides and a decoratedscreen wall on the entrance side is a little differentfrom those found in cities in terms of function.The threebuildings have two stories，and the lower floors of themain building facing east and the building facing southare used for living areas with the upper stories used forstorage while the lower floor of the building facing north isused for sheltering animals with the upper floor used forstoring feed.
The most outstanding characteristic of Naxi dwellingsin Shuhe is that they all have a wide porch in the front，which they often use as a dining area and for entertainingguests.The courtyards themselves also have their owncharacter.Most are covered with paving stones and areoften well landscaped，and many use brick，tile or cobblesto form large depictions of auspicious Chinese symbolsand characters to make them even more elegant.In additionto daily activities，the courtyards are also used as awork space and for folk activities.
As the Naxi communities prospered in recent years，villagers have been building new houses.The new housesfollow regulations concerning main framework，designand，style to maintain the traditional appearance，but onthe inside more and more people are going for moderndecoration and modern wall treatment.The houses trulyreflect an organic and harmonious blend of ancient andmodern.
In order to avoid commercialization of the ancientvillage，just to the south of the village a beautiful newsection has been developed in the ancient style to matchthe lay of the river and ancient trees.This area is especiallydesigned for locating bars，inns and shops so thatthe growing crowds of tourists do not disturb the routinelives of the villagers.The local Naxi residents，whoare simple，kind，enthusiastic，and hospitable people，are very approachable.Life here is much tranquil andrelaxed like olden times than inLijiang.As you enjoy this return toa more natural lifestyle with the localresidents，you too will want thislifestyle to continue this way.
