China’s Hidden Yao Village — A Lost World in the Mountains

Goulan Yao Village is located in Lanxi Yao Township, Jiangyong County, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, southern China. It is the home of the Goulan Yao people, one of Jiangyong’s “Four Great Folk Yao” groups, and is also a well-preserved ancient Yao village. The village is made up of three natural villages: Huangjia Village, Shangcun Village, and Daxing Village. Surrounded by mountains, its name comes from the landscape where “mountains connect and open through, streams flow underground, and the water is bluer than indigo.” More than 300 ancient residences from the Ming and Qing dynasties are still preserved here. Grey-tiled roofs, horse-head walls, stone-paved alleys, old gate towers, and pond scenery blend together, creating a unique architectural style that combines Yao and Han influences. With little commercial development, the village remains simple and peaceful, like a hidden Yao homeland tucked away in the mountains and waters of Hunan, showing the historical charm and poetic beauty of ancient villages in southern China.