A land of honey buzzing with joy

A famous poem by celebrated Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) playwright Ma Zhiyuan reads: "A withered vine, an ancient tree, crows at dusk; a small bridge, a flowing stream, some huts."

Visitors to his residence in Beijing's remote Xiluopo village, in Mentougou district, might understand how the serenity of Ma's surroundings inspired such prose.

A beautiful spring gushes at the village's main gate, which villagers say never dried up at any point in the settlement's history. The water flows through ditches that pass in front of every house.