Archeologists have recently run across a well-preserved ancient residential compound with houses linked to one another in the shape of "bagua" or Eight Trigrams, in Linyi city, eastern Shandong Province.

The Eight Trigrams refer to eight combinations of three whole or broken lines and was used by ancient Chinese people in their divination.

The compound, covering nearly one hectare of land in a village in Pingyi County, was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and consists of eight interconnected courtyards -- four on each side of a two-meter-wide passageway. Six of the courtyards -- altogether 26 rooms -- are still very well preserved after all these years.

One will easily get lost on his first visit to the compound as it has two entrances: one that opens to the north is for visitors and its own residents would all go through the southern gate.

The compound belongs to a Lin family in the village.

"It is the heirloom of my family," said Lin Huakun, 80. "The emperor granted the compound to our ancestors for sponsoring needyscholars to sit for imperial exams in Beijing."

Lin said top quality building materials and workmanship had helped the houses survive several centuries of storms.

Lumber, for example, had been kept in the earth for two to three years and dried for another year or two before they were used to build the beams and ridges, he said. "In this way, the wood would never deform." (Xinhua) Edited by: Yu Liang