Preserving old houses keeps window open to the past

Ancient residential clusters, traditional academies and historical courtyards stand as the most tangible physical carriers of China's agricultural civilization, according to the consensus of those attending a conference on rural civilization in Linyi, Shandong province, in July.

Wu Xiaorong, a publicity officer who grew up among the old mansions in Peitian village, Fujian province, recalled being inspired by the carved beams depicting classic historical stories.

"Every glance at these carvings felt like a quiet lesson from our ancestors," she said on the sidelines of the conference.

Yet over centuries, these historical buildings suffered from leaking roofs, rotting wood and structural decay, while villagers longed for modern housing.

The local government struck a balanced path forward. With an investment of 18 million yuan ($2.67 million), it restored 49 ancient structures, while allocating over 5 hectares of land to build 186 new residences just outside the historical core.

"Some villagers moved into new homes, the ancient buildings were well preserved, and the long-standing conflict between protection and living needs was resolved," Wu said.

More than 40 elderly villagers established a cultural research association, documenting the local history street by street. The restored old houses now serve as exhibition halls and filming locations.

Cafes, handicraft shops and an art gallery housed in a renovated granary have attracted young entrepreneurs back to the village.

"We do not merely preserve buildings. We keep agricultural culture alive through folk performances and heritage study tours," Wu said.

On the eastern coast in Rongcheng, Shandong province, a unique form of rural heritage embodies coastal agricultural traditions. Yandunjiao village is renowned for its haicaofang — stone houses with roofs thickly thatched with seagrass.

Around 200 such houses remain, with the oldest dating back more than 300 years.

Guo Chen, a cultural relics surveyor, said the houses are not lifeless architectural relics. "They are living chapters of history, infused with coastal agricultural culture," he said.

When conservation efforts began on the houses, many villagers saw only old, drafty roofs. "They couldn't understand why we wanted to keep 'shabby' houses instead of building new ones," Guo said.

"We visited door-to-door, sharing old photographs and family stories, helping them realize that these houses were precious legacies from their ancestors."

A phone call earlier this year deeply moved Guo. An elderly man who left his hometown at 16 and lived in Beijing for six decades called, saying he often dreamed of his family's seagrass house and his mother mending fishing nets at the doorstep.

His ancestral home had long been demolished. When Guo told him some seagrass houses had been preserved, the man fell silent before saying, "You are preserving the roots for all of us far away from home."

With effective protection in place, Yandunjiao activated its heritage for economic development. Combining the distinctive seagrass houses with winter swans that stop over at the bay in front of the village every year, the village developed homestays and educational tourism.

In 2024, it was recognized as one of the "Best Tourism Villages 2024"by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The village welcomed 850,000 visits last year.

"Both Peitian and Yandunjiao demonstrate that the conservation of agricultural heritage should not exist for preservation alone. It must form a virtuous cycle with people's livelihoods and rural vitalization," said You Shaoping, a professor of relics protection at Shandong Jianzhu University.

"Protection and development are not opposites. The key lies in striking a balance where ancient agricultural culture and community wellbeing prosper together," said You.