The Shanxi provincial housing and urban-rural department bureau said that 5 million yuan would be invested in the further protection and restoration of ancient villages in the province in 2014.

The project will be carried out with a thorough investigation of all the ancient villages in the province, the establishment of a protection system, protection funds, the integration of tourism development and the improvement of rural human settlements, so as to create a number of beautiful villages, characterized with rich traditional culture and local features.

According to officials from the township office in the Shanxi provincial housing and urban-rural department bureau, Shanxi has a total of 30 famous national-level historical and cultural towns and villages, ranking it first in China. In addition, it has 241 famous historical and cultural towns and villages at provincial level, 70 national-level and 101 provincial-level traditional villages.

However, in recent years, with rapid urbanization, the culture represented by traditional villages is fading away. That’s the reason why Shanxi has implemented protective measures for traditional villages since last year, maintaining their traditional architectural style and features, traditional patterns and their close relationship with the surrounding landscape. The measures were carried out based on respecting the villagers’ will and keeping traditional villages alive.

Edited by Brian Salter