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Foreword to this feature series on cultural and historical roads and communities:

Time-honored street communities often hold the cherished memories of a city. They reflect the city's historical roots and traditional ways of life of its people. As modern cities develop, large numbers of valuable places are either abandoned or demolished. In an effort to preserve and emphasize the significance of what remains, CRI is publishing a series of features on China's cultural and historical streets.

Road of History: Main Street of Mizhi Old Town

The old town of Mizhi in northern Shaanxi Province does not have a glittery appearance. With its dusty yellowish dirt road and cave residences, the town still lives under the shadow of poverty. But what Mizhi lacks in material wealth, it makes up for with its rich history.

The essence of Mizhi's cultural and historical heritage is represented by the main street that runs through the old town. Bordering the street are large numbers of cave residences which used to be schools and the homes of legendary family clans.

Although the facades of the cave dwellings usually do not strike visitors as attractive, the buildings' interiors are nothing but extravagant. The oldest of the cave dwellings in Mizhi dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368). The design of cave dwellings must take advantage of the natural landscape of the caves and allow for adequate amounts of sunlight and fresh air. The residents of Mizhi not only managed to build livable cave residences, but also decorated their homes with exquisite wood and stone carvings to indicate their social status.

As if to add to Mizhi's historical appeal, Mao Zedong lived in one of Mizhi's cave residences for nearly a year during China's War of Liberation. The cave residence has been renovated into a museum, telling the life stories of Mao and his followers. With this year's boom in "red tourism," the museum has seen an increased number of visitors to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

Many shops on Mizhi's main street are thriving thanks to tourists who come to the old town to buy handicrafts such as paper cuts, the making of which has been handed down from generation to generation. Mizhi is also the cradle of the traditional art forms of Yangge dance and Shaanxi folk songs.