Guoyu Ancient Village preserves an entire walled settlement of Ming and Qing courtyard houses, arranged along narrow stone lanes that have barely been touched since the last major construction phase in the eighteenth century. The village wall still stands to its full height on most sides, with a gatehouse and watchtower that reflect the security concerns of a prosperous family settlement in a region periodically troubled by bandits and rebellion.
The residential courtyards vary considerably in scale and decoration depending on the wealth and status of their original inhabitants. The largest compounds have carved stone door-frames, elaborate painted wooden eaves, and small private gardens, while more modest houses crowd into the lanes between. It is still a living village rather than a museum piece — some households continue to occupy the old buildings — which gives it a vitality missing from the more thoroughly preserved and ticketed sites in the area.