Lüjiacun Village is in a valley tucked between the mountain slopes. [File photo]

Lüjiacun Village is in a valley tucked between the mountain slopes. It is consequently the most peaceful of the seven. Most of its dwellings are centuries old. The Lü brothers, who gave their name to the village, lived in a house at the village entrance. The oldest in the village, it dates back to the Ming Dynasty. A dug out cave once housed an oil mill that has long since fallen into disuse.

As quiet as the Taihang Mountains, the village's houses, where seniors sit and chat on the stone doorsteps as children play, and its surroundings of rocks and trees evoke a traditional Chinese painting.

The village was not always so tranquil. In February 1938, during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Political Commissar Deng Xiao-ping and Commander Liu Bocheng of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army were stationed in Lüjiacun. It was from one of its courtyards that they commanded the ambush of 180 Japanese soldiers. Many young people in the area joined the Eighth Route Army, some of whom lost their lives in battle.