For a deep understanding of local life, however, a visit to Namping Village is much better than an artificial performance.

The village is located near the county town, less well-known than the famous villages, like Hongcun and Xidi, but it still looks like a historical painting that has escaped from history. The natural and peaceful view is the most treasured characteristic of the place.

The village was first built around 13th century, with most of the village people sharing the family name Ye. During its 780 years of history, most of Ye's descendants remained in their old houses and quite a lot went out of the mountain looking for some other ways to survive as the limited land could not feed the increased population. The village has two well-preserved ceremonial halls, and more than 300 ancient residential houses built in Ming and Qing periods. The village has been described as an "outdoor museum of Ming and Qing architecture."

Without a guide, it is easy to get lost in the village. There are more than 100 lanes, some as wide as 3 meters, some as narrow as 80 centimeters.

Most of the houses have high walls, which, combined with the narrow lanes, make the village looks a mysterious encircled city, especially during rainy days.

Like most Chinese people, the villagers have long emphasized education and there are many ancient schools. Big flagstones pave the middle of the lanes heading towards schools so students can avoid dirtying their shoes in the mud.
At the entrance of Namping Village, you will find a primary school and pupils would say Hello to western tourists, a welcome gesture to strangers.
The most worthy benefit for Namping is you can avoid the noisy tourists swarmed in Hongcun and Xidi, where you can have a stroll on in the small lanes and have a free chat with the aged as most young people went out to earn their living. And there are not so many shops selling souvenirs at Namping, which makes it even more attracting and valuable at the hot scenic spots at the moment.