The countryside usually refers to the large areas outsideof the cities.It developed from the first humansliving together and is the place where we have beenliving for generation after generation.In the early living andworking activities of our ancestors，people lived together to pooltheir resources to better defend themselves，thrive and gatherresources.This concentration of people living together representsthe earliest stage in the formation of the countryside in China.
The formation of the countryside followed a slow process thattook a million years from the first concentration of dwellings toliving in caves and living near vegetation and water to scatteredsettlements in the countryside（semi-permanent settlements）to fixed villages in the countryside to fixed settlements ofpermanent residents.During the process of moving from livingin caves and outside to living in buildings，after the beginningof division of labor，society entered the stage of scattered villagesettlements.As the level of agricultural production went up，thescattered settlements went from scattered and semi-permanentto become more stable as the size and scope of settlements grew.
The development of the countryside in China was a slow processof change that began with a primitive form of villages thatdeveloped into ancient style of villages and finally the modernform of villages.As of the 1990s there were approximately 3.207million incorporated villages in China containing 205 millionhouseholds inhabited by 790 million people.During the longprocess of change and development in the Chinese countryside，the hardworking，simple people of ancient China developed abrilliant farming culture and ethnic traditions，writing chapterafter chapter in the history of the peoples in the world.
China has a vast territory and long history with greatdifferences in natural conditions among different areas ofthe country.The natural resources and cultural content ofthe villages are very rich.The beautiful natural scenery of theChinese countryside，the ancient village buildings，the authenticfolk customs，the longstanding farming culture，the simple andunsophisticated village workshops and the primitive form oflabor create a unique vista in the countryside.It is like a scene ina painting of the countryside reflecting perfect harmony betweenpeople and nature.For example，the row on row of the terracedfields in Yuanyang，Yunnan，forestry farms in the snowed-cappedChangbai Mountains，a sea of flowers in Wuyuan in spring，Zhouzhuang，a town of rivers and lakes in southern China andthe melons in Turpan，Xinjiang.There are also country villagesand dwellings that combine the thousands of years of traditionalChinese culture with religious ideals and folk customs.Examplesof such historical buildings include the dwellings of the Naxipeople on the Shuhe in Lijiang，Yunnan，the stockaded villagesof the Dong people of Liping，Guizhou，the earthen buildingsof the Hakka people of Yongding，Fujian，The grand courtyardof Qiao Family in Shanxi，the Huizhou dwellings of Hongcunand Xidi villages in Anhui and the watchtowers of Kaiping，Guangdong that combine Chinese and Western influences.