Revitalizing Traditional Villages with New Vitality | Protecting | Villages
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development recently issued a replicable experience list for the protection and utilization of traditional villages, summarizing the experiences of various regions in improving laws and policies for the protection and utilization of traditional villages, innovating methods for the protection and utilization of traditional villages, improving mechanisms for the protection and utilization of traditional villages, and inheriting and developing excellent traditional culture. Specific measures were also listed. This provides a clear direction for learning how to improve the local living environment and promote the development of rural industries while protecting and utilizing traditional villages in various regions.
Traditional villages are a vivid carrier of inheriting China's excellent historical and cultural heritage, containing rich economic, ecological, and cultural values. Retaining the traditional village culture and charm cannot be achieved through either specimen protection or destructive development. Instead, it is necessary to tailor policies to local conditions and classify them, activate and utilize them on the basis of protection, and bring traditional villages to life. After years of continuous efforts, the protection level of traditional villages in China has significantly improved. It is understood that currently, 8155 traditional villages in China have been included in the list, and a system of listed protection has been implemented. 539000 historical buildings and traditional residences have been protected, and 4789 provincial-level and above intangible cultural heritage have been inherited and developed.
However, during this process, there are still some phenomena of "heavy declaration, light protection" and "seeing things in the village, but not people, not life", which is obviously going in the wrong direction. Whether in urban or rural areas, the activities of settlements are carried out with a human centered approach, so we must adhere to the principle of putting people first and not detach ourselves from the discussion of protection and utilization. To revitalize traditional villages in modern society, it is necessary to stimulate the initiative and enthusiasm of local villagers to participate in protection and utilization, and enhance the endogenous power of traditional villages. Therefore, based on the different location conditions and resource advantages of traditional villages, the development positioning and timing of villages can be clarified, and development paths that are in line with local realities can be selected to explore diverse development models for the protection, development, and utilization of traditional villages.
The development of any region cannot be separated from industrial support, and traditional villages are no exception. Many traditional villages actively develop characteristic industries, allowing villagers to find employment at their doorstep, forming a rural settlement where they can see people and see life. For example, Weizishui Village in Yanyi Town, Mentougou, Beijing, relies on the resources of ancient villages and the 2000 acre terraced landscape of dry land to promote the construction of homestays, and vigorously develops characteristic agricultural product processing industries such as Chinese toon and bitter almonds, bringing practical benefits to the lives of villagers. For example, in the development model of "based on red culture, embroidering ancient culture, and making good use of green resources", Shibadong Village in Xiangxi, Hunan Province established a Miao embroidery cooperative and built a mountain spring water plant in Shibadong Village, forming a pattern of mutual assistance, cooperation, and common development to achieve prosperity.
To bring traditional villages to life, we should continue to explore more replicable and sustainable experiences and models for the protection and utilization of traditional villages, promote the construction of beautiful rural areas through the revitalization and utilization of traditional villages, help promote the prosperity of rural industries, and enable more villagers to share the fruits of rural development.