Professor prioritizes protecting old houses

Retiree's efforts have convinced villagers they can improve living standards without demolition, new buildings

Zhu Liangwen, a white-haired retired architecture professor from Kunming University of Science and Technology, is in a race against time to protect traditional houses in Yunnan province.

His efforts to protect Yunnan's Lijiang old town started 16 years before it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.