[Photo provided to China Daily]

The village mainly houses descendants of the official. They have lived in the buildings built by their ancestors for generations.

Other villages in Jinxi share many similarities with Youdian. They have ancestral temples, schools and houses with similar layouts that include ponds, long and narrow stone alleys. Well-known ancestors of today's villagers were influential scholars, writers, poets and powerful officials in imperial China.

All these villages have been influenced by Confucianism and Taoism, says Guo. That's why they are built in harmony with the surrounding rivers and mountains.

Now, all these villages face a common problem－people leaving and the houses decaying.

Meanwhile, Hu Qinghua's daily visits and persuasion have continued for more than a year.

For the few residents of the village, they recognize that their houses must be preserved as a kind of cultural heritage after the local government offered them money to help them with repairs.

"I told them (the villagers) that if they don't repair their houses, it's a kind of disrespect to their ancestors," says Hu.