Oh, for that yearning for the pastoral past

The courtyard house you live in is better than a Western-style house, because it gifts you the boon of nostalgia, President Xi Jinping told an ethnic Bai family that hosted him on his visit to Dali in Yunnan province on Jan 20.

This is not the first time Xi has spoken about nostalgia. Two years ago, he said the government should bear in mind people's nostalgia when planning construction projects in villages.

But not all families are as lucky as the Bai family, which lives in one of the most well preserved tourist destinations famous for its natural environment and old buildings.