Aerial view of Henan's light decorated sunken courtyard homes

In the darkness of the surrounding night, these sunken courtyard homes decorated with lights and lanterns in Shanzhou county of Sanmenxia city light up like colorful window displays, as seen in these aerial photos captured on February 3, 2018. Sunken courtyards are a form of cave house that evolved from primitive ancient cave shelters. The distinctive style of dwelling seen here are only found in west Henan in China's northeast, and are listed on China's register of national intangible cultural heritage. The yards have been developed into local tourist attractions. [Photo: Xinhua]