Written by: People's Daily
Posted on: May 02, 2018 | 
| 中文
A view of Hong Cun Village, Qian County, An Hui Province
Ancient villages have a time-honored history and are rich in cultural heritage. Moreover, they play an important role in carrying forward cultural tradition and cultural memories of a nation. The natural surroundings, legends and tales, old architecture, folk arts and customs, are all national treasures that need to be protected and promoted. Mr. Liang Shuming (1893-1988, a famous thinker, philosopher and master on studies of ancient Chinese civilizations) once said that the tender shoots for new culture of China would not sprout out of nothing, and they cannot be separated from their old but vigorous roots, i.e. the villages. Since 2012, China has assessed and issued 4 groups of ancient villages, and there are 4153 villages in total. The concerned government departments have decided that they are worthy of national efforts of protection throughout the country. Protection of ancient villages has become an important content of the campaign to build up the beautiful countryside in China.
Green hills and bamboos, small bridges and streams, white walls with grey tiles, birds singing and flowers blooming; ancient villages in different places have sceneries of their own. As a complete and integrated system of both nature and society, an ancient village owns colorful tangible cultural heritage such as landscapes, houses, bridges, river ways, ancestral halls, opera stages, etc. But it’s their intangible heritages which form them, such as the folk ways of life, their customs, ways of production, folk arts, and so on.
The choice of site, setting, construction and materials for ancient villages, represents the wisdom of Chinese ancestors under the concept of pursuing harmony between humans and nature. Therefore, most of the villages were built at the foot of hills and alongside water resources, with abundant greenery and pleasant views.
For instance, the building materials for houses in the villages of Taihang Mountains are mountain stones and wood. In the setting sunlight, the house looks like an oil painting. Most of the ancient villages in or around Taihang Mountains are all situated beside water, whether scattered in the woods or located in the shadows of the hills. At the same time, the draining and irrigation system is built up in line with the ups and downs of hills, thus facilitating the production and life of villagers.
Naturally, these ancient villages have high value for tourism development. People living in the big cities are longing for a chance to return to nature, to feel and touch the fading traditional culture and life style. Therefore, themed tourism products characterized by “original tradition” and “bygone times” and “ancient flavors” have become a way of revitalizing many ancient villages.
The central government and provincial governments of China support the protection of ancient villages in the country. They have also offered special policies, principal and capital supports. In recent years, Chinese authorities issued a new list of 600 villages that would come under their protection, with central fiscal support in 2017. A new list is set to be announced in 2018. However, the ways of protecting and developing Chinese ancient villages are still under exploration, and some effective measures are being used for them.
For instance, Hong Cun Village of Qian County, An Hui Province, has a history of 900 years, and it has been well-known for its artificial water system, featuring a crescent-shaped pond, canals, ditches and a small lake (South Lake). These are complemented with plants, small gardens and buildings. The picturesque village has an ox-shaped map.
The local authorities have started special projects to renovate more than 140 buildings from Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), with some basic principles that they strictly follow. Firstly, the original outlook, basic structures and external decorations of these old buildings cannot be changed and the doors, windows, walls and roofs should be maintained in the ways of local traditional crafts. Secondly, all existing aerials, billboards and signs that contradict the overall spatial features and environment of the village should be removed. Thirdly, all local artificial and natural water systems, trees, wells, bridges and original gardens should be restored or maintained in their old ways. Finally, the existing walls and greenery along the existing village roads or paths should be maintained, and all newly-built roads should use the special local stones as the material. What is more, dredging would be carried out once every two years at the Crescent Pond and South Lake.
Development of ancient villages is not only about restoration of historical architecture, but also about protecting local ecosystem, to realize the win-win situation of economic progress and environmental protection.
Translated by Wu Jinying
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