The Qiankou Folk Houses are located in Qiankou Village in Xixian County, Anhui Province.
Covering an area of about 17,160 square meters, the Qiankou Residential Houses comprise six houses, one ancestral temple and one pavilion. Known as one of the three uniques among ancient architecture in Xixian County, these residential houses were built by Huizhou architects of the Ming (1368-1644)-Qing (1644-1911) period according to local customs, historical and geographical features inherited from the Song (960-1279)-Yuan (1271-1368) style. The constructions are surrounded by high walls and only have a few small windows in the outer walls. The main gate was made of black stones with terrazzo awning or arches above that were engraved with various decorations. Most residential houses are Sanheyuan (residential compound with houses on three sides of the courtyard) or Siheyuan (residential compound with houses on all four sides of the courtyard), with a small courtyard in the center. Usually, the parvis was built just inside the gate, with rooms on both sides. The beams, columns and poles are decorated with various patterns.
The Qiankou Residential Houses, which were originally spread throughout Qiankou Village and nearby villages, were moved to the present site and rebuilt according to the traditional style in 1984.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
