A resident walks on a lane in Dayang Town of Zezhou County, West China's Shanxi province. [Photo/Xinhua]  

Dayang Ancient Town, which has a history of more than 2,000 years, was well-known for its needle-making industry during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).

With the decline of handmade needle industry, the prosperity of the ancient town also faded away. A quantity of Ming and Qing architectures in the town, however, were well preserved. Dayang Town is now regarded as a living fossil of Chinese old towns.

A woman stands in an old residential yard. [Photo/Xinhua]

Residents chat as they sit in front of a gate in the town. [Photo/Xinhua]

A resident hangs corns in his house. [Photo/Xinhua]

A resident walks on a lane in the town. [Photo/Xinhua]

Persimmons are placed on window edges in a house in the town. [Photo/Xinhua]

Children run on a lane happily in the ancient town. [Photo/Xinhua]