Shibanyan, once a secluded arcadia, is now welcoming visitors with its natural scenery and distinctive home stay facilities.

The town, located in the northwest of Linzhou city in Central China’s Henan province, is tucked away in the hills and forests where gurgling brooks flow slowly across its terrain. The town has around 17 villages, where fewer than 10,000 people reside. Locals have been sticking to the old-fashioned way of life, rising with the chickens to do farm work and going to bed soon after sunset.

The earlier generations of residents took full advantage of the natural setting and built their houses with the fragments. Over the decades, the stone construction has become the town’s main feature, drawing many visitors.