With its well-preserved ancient mill group, crystal clear water, the unique stone house dwellings, great natural environment and rich folk customs, Gumo Village has been evaluated as one of the Chinese Traditional Villages, “Summer Town of 2013” and one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in China, 2014”. And due to its lesser accessibility, until today, Gumo Village is not always on the “must-go” or “hotspots” lists in Yunnan, which gave this village a bit of time to continue its old way of life and not be carried away by tourists. 

The name, Gumo, literally means “old ink” that entails the four treasures in a study: writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and inkstones. What is more, to Chinese people, when talking about these four treasures, one may have a rather clear picture of men of literature and writing composing or sharing ideas with one another. And this may tell the character of the peaceful and artistic Gumo Village.

Stone houses take up the whole village and verdant vegetation keeps the heat away.

 The “Lovers’ River” runs through the village.

Gumo Village is as famous as another ancient village in Lincang, that is Lushi Ancient Village. According to the record, there were 7 people from Gumo had had successfully passed the Highest Imperial Examinations during the Qing Dynasty. And in Chinese culture, a name of a person tells a lot about this person’s personality, so does a place’s name. Therefore, people believe that the name of Gumo (old ink) suits this stone village very well. 

Gumo Village is rich in walnut and it is said that on both sides of the river, there are more than 6,000 acres of walnut trees, 4,000 of them are ancient walnut tress. Hence, it is also known as the Walnut Valley. 

Travel Information:

Address: Gumo Village, Shili Town, Fengqing County, Lincang City, Yunnan. It is 112.6km away from the Fengqing County, with Qinghua Village on the East and Tuanjie Village on the South, Hebian Village on the West and Paifang Village on the North.

Trasportation: Mini Bus from Fengqing County to Shili Town, 32 RMB/Person, roughly 4 hours. And from Shili Town to Gumo Village has 6km, no access for cars, but one could only walk.

Accommodation: Hostels and B&B in Gumo Village 

(Reference: Wanzhuan Chuandianzang)