Langshi Village lies in the eastern part of Wugang City, at the junction of five counties: Wugang, Xinning, Shaoyang, Dongkou and Longhui. Locals say "a rooster’s crow can be heard across five counties", and the village has long earned the laudatory title of "Little Nanjing" of Wugang. It is 60 kilometres away from downtown Wugang and 30 kilometres from Longhui County seat.

According to historical records, these magnificent ancient residential complexes were built by Wang Zhenghai, the eldest grandson of Wang Zuqing, an official who accompanied Zhu Bian, the 18th son of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty). Zhu Bian moved to Wugang and became Prince of Min in 1425, the first year of the Hongxi reign. Back then, Langshi was known as Lijiaba. When Wang Zhenghai settled here, he saw layer upon layer of stone slabs covering the hills behind the village, shaped like rolling waves. He renamed the place Langshi, which carries the implied meaning: "Wanderers who arrive here shall take root like stones". Since then, the Wang clan multiplied and thrived here for generations.

From the Ming and Qing dynasties through the Republic of China, descendants of the Wang family kept purchasing farmland and constructing houses, gradually forming the ancient courtyard settlement we see today. During the clan’s heyday, the Wangs hired numerous permanent and seasonal labourers. As time went by, many of these workers put down roots in the village. Even today, residents of the ancient dwellings include not only the dominant Wang surname but also as many as 27 other surnames, most of whom are descendants of labourers who once worked for the Wang household.

The ancient residential complex is located in Langshi Village, Shuangpai Township of Wugang. Its construction began in 1713, the fifty-second year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. It represents a distinctive large-scale ancient folk architectural complex unique to southwestern Hunan.

Eighty-eight ancient houses survive in total, covering a combined area of 10,880 square metres. Among them, 55 buildings with a total floor space of 6,930 square metres remain intact. All are brick-and-timber structures facing south with their backs to the mountains, arranged in a well-planned, layered and orderly layout. Each house features blue brick walls at both ends with wooden beam frames in the middle. Lanes paved with bluestone slabs run between buildings, linked by open and covered drainage ditches. The drainage system design remains flawless even by modern standards.