Chinese Traditional Village - Gaoyi Village, Gaoyi Township, Huitong County, Hunan Province

Gaoyi Ancient Village, one of China's top ten ancient villages and a national key cultural relics protection unit, is also a key cultural relics protection unit and a provincial historical and cultural village in Hunan Province. Located in Gaoyi Township, Huitong County, southwest Hunan, it is named after its terrain, which resembles a large armchair with three sides surrounded by mountains and one side facing water. The entire village has more than 590 households with a population of over 2,200 people, of which 85% are villagers surnamed Yang, belonging to the Dong ethnic group.

Gaoyi Ancient Village currently preserves 104 ancient residential buildings that date back to a span of 500 years, from the 13th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty to the 7th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1380-1881), with a total construction area of 19,416 square meters.

This place was once a hub of water and land transportation, and Gaoyi Ancient Village is a must-pass location on the historically renowned Tobacco and Earth Road. The roads connecting every household and village crisscross like a net, creating a maze-like environment. The villagers generally only use a few main roads, and many of the paths are interconnected, but no one dares to travel them. Even the elderly locals may not know which house each small path leads to.