Gaoqian is located in the south of Baita Basin in Xianju County, 20 kilometers away from the county seat. The natural geographic location is between 28.5-29° N and 120-121° E, with a subtropical monsoon climate, abundant rainfall and nearly 80% forest coverage. The topography is dominated by hills and known as “eight mountains, one river and one piece of land”. The basic topography of Gaoqian slopes from southwest to northeast. The Dapan Mountain extends from southwest to northeast, forming the northwest edge of the Baita Basin. Qingmei Peak, the highest Dapan Mountain, is 1,314 meters above sea level, which is conducive to blocking cold air from the northwest. To the southwest, it is adjacent to Gaoqian Creek (also known as Baishui Creek) and Yongan Creek, and to the south, it faces the Shenxianju, a scenic area centered on Tianmu Mountain. The Baita Basin, surrounded by mountains and water, provides good natural ecological conditions for the development of Gaoqian's agricultural civilization.

Baita Basin is flat and the soil is fertile, with 1,703 mu of good arable land for agricultural production. There is a large protective area of forest to the southeast of the village, which acts to reduce the impact of typhoons that land in summer. To the south of the village, there are 4798 mu of mountain forests with rich vegetation, which is a valuable forestry resource. Under these unique natural conditions, Gaoqian has an integrated agricultural economy of forestry, animal husbandry and fishery. The main crop is rice, but other crops include rape, poppy plum and high mountain tea. Agricultural sidelines such as Xianju chicken and freshwater fish are also important in the surrounding areas. A favorable climate and the strong agricultural base of the economy in this area are some of the key factors that have allowed the Gaoqian Wu family to flourish for nearly a thousand years.

The natural environment is also a fundamental clue to the architecture of Gaoqian village houses. Traditional Chinese architectural culture always aims to make the best possible use of natural conditions, drawing on a comprehensive evaluation of topography, geomorphology, landscape, climate, ecology and other environmental elements, contributing to the overall idea of architectural planning as geomancy, also commonly known as feng shui. The earliest use of the expression “feng shui” in the canon is found in the “Book of Burial” written by the pseudonymous Guopu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty where it says: “Qi scatters when there is wind, and is stopped at a boundary of water; how to gather Qi so it does not scatter, and how to hold it up or make it circulate, this is called feng shui.” Translated into a familiar modern idiom, feng shui can be called air and water. The basic principle is about ensuring adequate air circulation and water supply, in addition to making use of the terrain, wind direction and building structure as much as possible, so that the house functions in terms of heat insulation as well as providing a barrier against rain and moisture. Geomancy was very popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the selection of the village site and the design of residential buildings still visible today in Gaoqian Village, were influenced by ancient geomancy, reflecting the kind of, mainstream feng shui thinking common at that time.

To the east of Gaoqian Village is Dragon Mountain. To the west is, Gaoqian Creek. Shenxianju Scenic Area lies to the south, Yongan Creek is to the north, and Dapan Mountain is situated in the northwest. Verdant mountains and clear flowing water surround the village. The ancients said: “Where there is flowing water on the left side of the house, it is called black dragon house; where there is a long path on the right, it is called the white tiger house; where there is land in front of the house, it is called Zhuque; where there is a mountain behind, it is called Xuanwu. That is the most precious.” The ancient village of Gao Qian fulfils all these conditions, so it could be called a feng shui treasure-house. As described in the record of Zhong Qiao Wu's ancestral shrine, “In front of it, there is Jingxing Rock stacked up for ten thousand feet, next to it, there is waterfall looking like wave of clouds, behind it, there is the mountain looking like a pen-holder lying to embrace with flags, and the two waters of Liao Creek and Lake Creek run through......”

According to legend, the twenty-third generation grandsons of the Wu family, Wu Shitan and Wu Shizheng lived in Shangwu and Xiawu respectively in Gao Qian villiage. Wu Shizheng had four sons, named Wu Baiyan, Wu Cangyan, Wu Yingyan and Wu Jianyan and it is said that one night, Baiyan and Yingyan dreamed the same dream. A white-bearded immortal was pointing to the south of their village where the moon was surrounded by seven stars indicating that here, there was a strong underground dragon vein (an important feng shui phenomenon). They took the dream to mean that this land was highly auspicious in terms of feng shui, with the promise of abundant fertility and other kinds of rich possibility. The next day when the brothers said they had both had the same dream, people were convinced that this was the correct interpretation. So, the brothers chose the foundation and built a stone house here. And their children and grandchildren continued to flourish and the family to expand, until the era of the Republic of China. They built a grand total of 27 four-sided gable (somewhat like Siheyuan四合院) houses. Of the 13 ancient houses in Xiawu Village, except for two that were destroyed by fire during the period of the first Republic of China, the remaining 11 are basically still intact. It is rare in China, to find such a large-scale collection of well-preserved ancient buildings.

In addition, the system used to provide water for production and domestic use in Gaoqian is also constructed on traditional Chinese architectural principles, making use of the strengths of the natural location by adapting and applying them appropriately. The water system of Gaoqian Village comprises two parts: pit water and artificial water channels. The three pits of water drawn from the Gaoqian River flow through the village from south to north, while the three artificial canals flow through the village from west to east, forming a convenient well-grid-water system for agricultural irrigation and domestic water. Gaoqian Village is also rich in groundwater resources, with more than one hundred ancient wells. According to village elders, the well water in Gaoqian Village has proved inexhaustible during many major historical droughts.