Hui architecture is one of the major Chinese styles of architecture from ancient times and can be seen across the country in exquisite homes, ancestral halls and memorial archways.

The couple's 900-square-meter house, formerly named "Jinzhicheng Hall," was originally an inn for traveling merchants about 300 years ago. It was expanded around 150 years ago to include 14 bedrooms, a formal hall and a yard for animals, according to Gawne.

"A yard, a bar, a fireplace and a dog, I found everything I love about idyllic British life in Wuyuan," Gawne said.

Before settling in Wuyuan, Gawne worked in Shanghai and met his wife in 2013. The pair resigned from their jobs in 2015 saying they were "fed up with the rush of city life."

They returned to Liao's hometown Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi, and traveled around the province where Gawne was drawn to the old buildings in Wuyuan.

"It would be a pity if these exquisite old houses disappeared," Gawne said.