The best experience in Shilin would be spending night at cabin hotel by the stream. But make sure you book in advance. They are extremely popular among visitors. (Photo source: China Daily/ Peng Yining)

Two villages off the beaten path of most tourists avoided modernization due to their remoteness. Now they serve as windows to the past.

During China's vast process of urbanization, numerous villages have been torn down by bulldozers and built into modern communities. But some have been saved to serve as historical relics. Many of them are tucked away, deep in mountains. Remoteness used to be their disadvantage but now it is the reason they haven't been destroyed. Some feature impressive views and some are popular for their rich history. So which villages are worth visiting? The following are two ancient villages in East China's Zhejiang province. Both are beautiful and full of stories, but they are relatively low profile and haven't been written in most travel books.