老院子, Cultural heritage site in Zhangjiajie, China.
Laoyuanzi is a heritage settlement of traditional wooden buildings set near Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. The site features structures raised on stone foundations, arranged across sloping terrain, with courtyards, pathways, and maintained grounds connecting the various buildings.
The settlement was founded during the Qing Dynasty as a residential community for the Tujia people, a local minority group. Over time, it developed building techniques adapted to the mountainous terrain while maintaining traditional construction methods passed through generations.
The layout reveals how Tujia families organized their homes around central courtyards with wells and gardens for daily life and food production. Walking through the site, visitors can observe the spatial arrangement that shaped community living patterns.
The site is best explored on foot, with paved paths connecting the buildings, and visitors should allow enough time to see all structures and courtyards at a relaxed pace. Sturdy shoes are recommended because the ground is uneven and some paths have steep sections.
Natural spring water flows through carved stone channels at several points, feeding small pools that once supplied the community's water needs. Some of these systems still function today, revealing how residents managed water in their mountain setting.
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