Photo Essay

Life in the Taihang Mountains

By LIU SIGONG

The Taihang Mountain Range meanders for 500 kilometers across the territories of Henan, Shanxi and Hebei provinces. It is an important ecological screen for the North China Plain and source of water. In Hebei's Shexian County sits Wangjinzhuang, a 300-year-old stone village nestled in the mountains.

The village is a stone world -- lanes, houses, courtyard walls, towers, pavilions, tables, benches and mills are all hewn from ancient rock. Streets and lanes are paved in stones of various shapes and sizes whose surfaces have become shiny and lustrous after being trodden by countless feet for centuries. Retaining its Ming and Qing dynasty look, the village has five streets crossed with eight lanes, totaling 3.5 kilometers in length.

During harvest season, golden corn and persimmons litter the courtyard and rooftops and hang from eaves. Villagers busy tending the corn and preserving persimmons will occasionally invite visitors in to sample their home-grown vegetables and millet.

A family tends to corn drying in the courtyard.	The village is a stone world: lanes, houses, courtyard walls, towers, pavilions, tables, benches and mills are all composed of ancient rock.	Villagers live the old lifestyle.
A Wangjinzhuang grandmother and her grandson.	Despite being equipped with telephones and TV sets, the stone village still looks ancient.	Mountain slopes provide for the livelihood of villagers.