"We stuck to the principles of 'restoring the site to its original state', looked up the historic data of the buildings, and solicited advice from the villagers," said the director. He added that the compound will hopefully open to visitors this year.

Huang Yuyang, 72, has witnessed the devastating flood that impacted Honglincuo on July 9, 2016, as well as the restoration work over the past three years.

"I helped evacuate the villagers first and then joined in cleaning up the silt caused by the flood. Then with the special fund from Tahoe Group, we began fixing the buildings," said the villager.

"The buildings have now been restored to their original states and we are looking forward to welcoming more tourists and making full use of the antique residence resources to boost the economy," he added.