Aisle of history

With the country's modernization, ancient villages are disappearing at a fast pace as residents replace old houses with new buildings. But a county in East China is seeking to reverse the trend. Deng Zhangyu reports.

When twilight falls, Hu Qinghua's routine starts. After he finishes work in his rice fields he visits a family in Youdian village, speaking to them about the history of their house and narrating stories about their common ancestors, hoping to persuade them to repair their house, which was built hundreds of years ago.

Hu, 63, can trace his ancestry back to more than 20 generations in an ancient village in East China's Jiangxi province. All the buildings of Hu's village in Jinxi county are ancient houses dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).