A village in Mengxian county, Yangquan city of North China's Shanxi province, has just 17 residents. The village is called Dapin by local residents. [Photo/CFP]

Residents of Dapin village stand in front of a group of houses, Oct 15, 2011. [Photo/CFP]

The 1,200-year-old Dapin village sits against a hill, Oct 15, 2011. [Photo/CFP]

A villager rests on a stone step in Dapin village, Oct 15, 2011. [Photo/CFP]

Stone steps connecting every household are paved in Dapin village, Oct 15, 2011. The village has great value in both tourism and cultural research, said Gao Feng, vice director of Cultural Relics and Tourism Bureau of Mengxian county. [Photo/CFP]

A man smokes outside his house in Dapin village, Oct 15, 2011. [Photo/CFP]

A village in Mengxian county, Yangquan city of North China's Shanxi province, has just 17 residents.

The village is called Dapin by local residents. The houses in the village are built by stone on mud with more than 40 courtyards and some are about 1,200 years old, according to Gao Feng, vice director of Cultural Relics and Tourism Bureau of Mengxian county.

It has no doctors, pharmacies or shops and few people get sick, according to some local residents.

The village residents range from 50 to 88 in age, as all the young people are working or living away. The left-behind elders live a peaceful life by farming.