ThisphototakenonJan.9,2024showsanancienthouseatBailongVillage,TumenCityofnortheastChina'sJilinProvince.(Xinhua/ShaoMeiqi)CHANGCHUN,Feb.1(Xinhua)--Asnightgraduallyawakens,arisingwaveofcookingsmokecurlsoutofatranquilfolkvillageonthebanksoftheTumenRiverinnortheastChina'sJilinProvince.Inthevillage,JinJingnanispreoccupiedwithheatingupthestoveinsideaKoreanethnichouseover140yearsold."Thetouristswillsoonarrive,"saidthe71-year-old.Muchtohisdelightfulsurprise,hisresidence,theoldestoneinBailongVillage,isnowapopularsight.Facingsouth,thehousewasbuiltin1880usingthetraditionalmortise-and-tenonjointsinsteadofusingnailsandscrewstojoinpiecesofwood,whichexpertsacclaimas"arareandwell-preservedKorean-stylehousemadewithwoodandshingles."ThevillageissituatedinYanbianKoreanAutonomousPrefecture,theonlyautonomousprefectureofChina'sKoreanethnicgroup.Korean-styledwellingsdottingthevillageareconnectedbywoodenbridgesandflagstoneroads,whilecrocksusedformakingandpreservingsoysauceareneatlyplacedbetweentheyards.Lessthan100peoplecurrentlyresideinthevillage,mostlyover60yearsold,accordingtoJin."Fewpeoplecametotheremotevillageinthepast,butnow,theirvisitsallowustoliveamuchbetterlife,"saidJin.Jin,whousedtomakealivingbyworkingintheRepublicofKorea,decidedtocomebacktoBailongVillageandsettledownin2005,afterseeinghowinfrastructureandcityscapehaveundergonetremendoustransformationinhishometown.HealsobegantoreconsiderthevalsueoftheancientKorean-stylehouses."ThehistoryofourvillageisamicrocosmofthehistoryoftheKoreanethnicpeopleinChina,"notedJin.Noweveryday,touristsfloodinthevillageforphoto-shootingtours,savoringKoreanethniccuisine,andexperiencingthearchitecture,customs,andtraditionallivingpracticesoftheKoreanethnicgroup.Lastyear,thevillagewelcomedover100,000tourists,accordingtoJin."It'sanunforgettabletrip,"saidZhangWenli,whocamewiththreefriendsfromSichuanProvince."Wewilldefinitelyrecommendformoreofourfriendstovisit,"Zhangsaid."Thisyear,weplantoopenmoreculinarytourssuchasmakingspicycabbageandricecakes,"Jinsaid,addingthatthevillagehasalsosetupateampresentingKorean-styleperformancestosightseers."Icanmakeanadditional3,000to4,000yuan(about422to563U.S.dollars)amonthbyperforming,"saidWuZhenghua,alocalresident.ZhangXiangshun,45,openedabeautysaloninBailongVillagelastyear,mainlyofferingmakeupservicetovisitorsonphoto-shootingtours.Aftergraduationfromuniversity,LiXuanzhu,24,alsomovedtothevillagetorunahomestay."Atfirst,myrelativesandfriendssaidthatI'vemadea'bold'decision,butIwasquiteoptimistic.Nowafterseeingtheinfluxofvisitors,they'verecognizedmydecision,"Lisaid,addingthatsheisplanningtoincreaseinvestmenttoinjectmorevitalityintotheancientvillage.Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.