China has added 1,336 traditional villages to the State protection list amid efforts to promote heritage conservation, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development late last month.

It urges local authorities to establish or improve their archives of traditional villages and draw up plans to strengthen the villages' protection and use.

Together with five other government organs, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Ministry of Finance, the ministry has placed a total of 8,155 traditional villages under State protection.

Traditional Chinese villages generally refer to those with lengthy histories, which retain folk customs, and have not undergone significant changes to their architectural appearance, according to Chen Xingyi, professor at the Traditional Village Architectural Culture and Art Research Center at Henan Polytechnic University.

To be selected, villages must meet certain criteria, including rich history and culture, a well-preserved layout, traditional buildings with conservation value, the living practice of local intangible cultural heritage and the preservation of village vitality.

"The value of traditional Chinese villages is diverse and irreplaceable. They reflect historical memory and methods of production, living wisdom, as well as cultural and artistic essence, and regional characteristics," Chen said. "They are also an important part of world cultural heritage."

Renovation and preservation

Most of the country's world heritage sites, along with the vast majority of its national-level and provincial, municipal and county-level intangible cultural heritage areas, are located either in or near clusters of traditional villages, according to Chen.

Protecting the villages to help preserve cultural inheritance is critical and will promote the development of China's stated goal of creating what it refers to as "ecological civilization" while also advancing rural vitalization, he said.

The central government began a survey of traditional villages in 2012. After years of effort, by 2020, it has successfully brought 539,000 historic buildings and traditional dwellings under State protection.

Chen stressed that protecting traditional villages does not mean preserving them exactly as they were. Lifestyles should be modernized in accordance with the times, and villagers have the right to enjoy the conveniences of modern technology.

He proposed integrating modern life into the traditional village setting, while paying close attention to protecting the local environment and culture.

"We should develop while protecting, and protect while developing, transitioning from static preservation to active inheritance," he said. "This transformation is aimed at ensuring better protection. The use of villages under protection not only promotes their development, but also supports efforts to preserve cultural inheritance."

He called for establishing a set of stringent standards, methods and protection mechanisms based on actual circumstances to ensure sustainable development.

As many cities have made a point of developing clusters of the villages, Chen said it's important local authorities take into account the features of each village, including their appearance and industries.

Chen urged authorities to focus not only on tourism, but also on exploring and developing other aspects, such as special farming techniques, local agriculture and distinctive handicrafts.

Cai Suihong, deputy chief engineer with the Guangdong Urban and Rural Planning and Design Institute, suggested that in areas where conditions permit, houses belonging to villagers could be transferred to the village collective for vitalization and use. For example, they could be turned into village history museums, public venues, tourist service centers or homestays.

"If the buildings were previously used for purposes such as workshops or mills, we recommend they be restored to their original function," Cai said.

Cai emphasized that the most important aspect of protecting and using traditional villages is to demonstrate the role they play in preserving cultural inheritance.

Experts concurred that minimal renovation should be undertaken in villages, stressing that old buildings and their surrounding environments shouldn't undergo large-scale demolition, and there shouldn't be arbitrary development.

Instead, everything should be carried out on the basis of maintaining the original style of the villages and their environments.

"During renovation, a cautious attitude should be maintained, and the core value of traditional villages should be preserved," said Pan Ying, professor at the School of Architecture at the South China University of Technology.

While introducing modern functions to traditional villages, reasonable scale should be adopted, Pan added.

"For example, it is best to use original buildings for homestays, without changing the spatial structure and cultural charm of the streets and alleys. New, large-scale construction is not suitable," she said.

Efforts paying off

Over the past decade, China has stepped up efforts to manage rural housing, train rural artisans and develop village infrastructure and public services, according to Li Xiaolong, an official at the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

As a result, many now boast beautiful, natural scenery, with significantly improved living conditions.

In particular, rural household waste management has been upgraded, with more than 90 percent of villages now covered.

Moreover, the evaluation mechanism for rural construction has been improved, from overall development down to specifics such as housing construction, Li said, adding that through evaluation, the development status and the effectiveness of construction in villages, as well as outstanding problems and weaknesses, have been identified, and this has paved the way for promoting rural development.

Under a policy aimed at protecting traditional villages, several regions have promoted the vitalization and use of traditional villages.

They have explored the setting, history, culture and landscapes, and have developed rural tourism and cultural industries related to local conditions.

In 2020, 10 cities and prefectures, including Huangshan in Anhui province and Dali Bai autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province, each received 150 million yuan ($21.8 million) from the central government to carry out protection work in traditional village clusters. Local authorities also encouraged public investment.

Furthermore, a long-term protection and use mechanism has taken shape, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

In the ancient village of Pengdong, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, authorities have vigorously developed rural tourism and have strengthened agriculture and tourism through government leadership, the introduction of social capital and investments from villagers in the form of houses, land and other resources.

As Pengdong leverages its scenery and culture and history, it is attracting an increasing number of tourists.

On average, the village receives 1,000 visitors per day, and annual per capita incomes have increased to around 40,000 yuan, according to local authorities.

In 2020, villages like Pengdong on the national protection list received 360 million tourists, which increased incomes, enhanced cultural confidence and injected new vitality into those rural areas, according to the ministry.