Yin Yu Tang, an ancient Chinese house. [File photo/Chengdu Economic Daily]

Moreover, the museum has also designed and opened an interactive website of Yin Yu Tang to provide online visitors with relevant background information, including its history, architectural layout and indoor decorations, together with many pictures and videos.

Before Yin Yu Tan was dismantled, several Huang family members gathered to honor their ancestors who had built the house and to inform them it was about to move to its new location in the United States.

Huang Qiuhua, the 36th generation of Huang family, was deeply touched by what he saw and heard on his tour of the rebuilt Chinese home in Salem. "At that moment I thought I had passed through time and space, because in my memory our house has already been torn down. When it suddenly reappeared before my eyes, I felt very excited," he said.

With the removal of Yin Yu Tang, Huangcun -- the residence's original location in China -- has become a tourist resort. People at home and abroad have been attracted to visit the place and learn about the reputed local architecture and culture.

Huang Jixian, 72, the only tourist guide of Huangcun, said he was the one with the best understanding of the history of the village. "There used to be many ancient residential houses in my village, but there are only four left," he said sadly.

According to a regulation on ancient relic protection implemented by the Anhui Provincial Government in September 1997, all the civilian buildings constructed before 1911 "with historical and artistic values" must not be dismantled or sold without approval of the relevant government departments.