Ancient village sets rules to protect old houses

Shiyanping village in Hunan province. [Photo/CFP]

Located at in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, Shiyanping village is picturesque, with more than 90 percent of intact vegetation and forest. At the foot of the mountain, about 180 stilted buildings built by the Tujia ethnic group, one of the 55 ethnic minorities in China, are sporadically distributed and well-spaced. This ancient architectural complex, dating back to Qing dynasty, became a Key Cultural Relic unit under state protections last year. It was placed in the first batch of 50 traditional villages to be protected by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage

To protect the stilted buildings, this village formulated regulations and agreements twice between 2002 to 2010, stating that a subsidy will be provided for those stilted buildings needing to be renovated and households who establish stilted buildings will be rewarded. An accountability system was adopted. According to the plan, the whole village will be under preserved and protected as an ecomuseum. Many young people go back to their hometown to start their own business due to the emerging tourism.