Lujia village is where bean curd and beauty offer allure

A wind-and-rain bridge in Lujia village in Yangshuo. [Photo by Zhan Weike/China Daily]

The savory variety is sprinkled with peanuts and chili peppers, and drizzled in soy sauce. It's typically washed down with tart wild-grape wine produced in the area.

Visitors can watch families－multiple generations, that is－process soybeans by hand in their courtyards on their way to the tofu exhibition hall.

Travelers enter Lujia via a covered bridge that runs over the Taohua River. They're greeted by lion dances upon arrival.

The 300-year-old settlement stands in the shadow of the Wudiyan Mountain and is less than a kilometer from the famous Reed Flute Cave.

Its landscape enticed the producers of an old Journey to the West TV series to film scenes here.

But the Lujia's appeal extends beyond its outlying terrain to its downtown's layout.

It's as if a garden replete with flowers, bonsai and vegetable plots was poured in the spaces between houses built according to traditional style, with white walls and black shingles that plate swooping eves.

Bamboo spurts from thickets along flagstone streets, while vine clusters clasp any structure they can. Ponds bob with lilies and lotuses.

The local square features over 100 stone inscriptions that reference longevity.