These private residences are particularly notable for their extravagant symbol-laden carvings of dragons, opera scenes, trees and flowers, found on the main entranceways, foundation column stones and intricate lattice windows.

BBC: Rural adventures in China��s backcountry

Shikha Dalmia is a senior analyst at Reason Foundation and writes a biweekly column for Forbes.

FORBES: Uncommon Sense

Shikha Dalmia is a senior analyst at Reason Foundation and a writes a biweekly column for Forbes.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Shikha Dalmia is a senior analyst at Reason Foundation and writes a bi-weekly column for Forbes.

FORBES: Uncommon Sense

Starting today, Shikha Dalmia, a senior analyst at Reason Foundation, will write a bi-weekly column for Forbes.

FORBES: Uncommon Sense

Becoming mindful of how money moves out of (and into) your pockets is the key to keeping your finances under control and is the foundation for budgeting, but that's a topic for another column.

CNN: Use your Mac to track your money