Five kilometers south of Xiangfen County in Shanxi Province is Dingcun Village where the famous "Dingcun Man" of the Stone Age once lived. Reputed as national treasures, more than 40 dwellings dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) are preserved here, creating an atmosphere of the building style and layout of China's northern village and living quarters.

All of the dwellings in the village are laid out in a quadrangle pattern facing south and consist of main halls, flanks, ceremonial, memorial and regular archways, viewing towers and embroidery workshops. Its total area is 480,000 square meters and the oldest houses were built in 1593 during Emperor Wanli's reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644); the most recent were erected in the Republic of China period (1912-1949).

Generally, the buildings are arranged in three groups -- the north, middle courtyard and south courtyards -- in a compact and symmetrical way. The houses feature the typical layout of the si he yuan (quadrangle), facing south. The layout of the courtyards, placement of doors, slope of roofs, and ornaments and carvings on doors and windows are all excellent works from Ming and Qing residential architectural art, representing the traditional lifestyle and residential architecture of the Han people.

Woodcuts and stone carvings are rich in content and intricate in design. Materials like brick, wood and stone render the buildings not only beautiful but also practical and highly resistant to earth tremors.

Recently, seven courtyards have been turned into the Dingcun Museum of Folk Customs, reflecting the living customs of the Han people in Southern Shanxi Province. The construction began in 1984 and was opened to the public on November 10, 1985.

The museum boasts over 10,000 pieces of collections, including pottery, furniture, costumes, farm tools, transportation tools, textiles, folk art and unearthed relics. There are several folklore displays with different themes related to the Han nationality living in Southern Shanxi at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the beginning of the Republic of China, including the Display of Seasons and Festivals, the Display of Customs and Etiquettes, the Display of Folk Art and the Display of Production and Life. The six Qing houses, with an exhibition area of 2,700 square meters, display over 2,400 cultural relics of folklore. In addition, the museum features displays on special subjects, such as Dingcun Culture, Dingcun Neolithic Age Culture and Paintings and Crockery.

The museum has also collected and compiled brochures, such as "Selected Traditional Folk Songs" and "Interesting Slang of Dingcun Village" and "Selected Folk Couplets of Dingcun Village".