Cultural Innovation Activates the Vitality of Ancient Villages

Experience from Xixi Ancient Village of Guangdong, China

Xixi ancient village  [photographed by the author]

Funded by the Humanities and Social Sciences Youth Foundation Program （18YJCZH008） of China's Ministry of Education, our research group conducted a survey on February 14, 2022 in Xixi Village of Guangdong Province on its renewal experience.

Xixi（西溪）， formerly known as Luxi（芦溪）village, is an ancient village located in Liaobu Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. It was founded in 1489 during the Ming Dynasty, with a history over 500 years. The ancient village was built on the gentle slope of a mountain, with a total area of 4.84 ha, including 2.38 ha of ponds. It is one of the well preserved ancient villages in Lingnan area which is featured by an original cultural landscape composed of ancient walls, folk houses, ancestral halls, ancient wells, ponds and ancient banyan.

From 2018, the local government implemented a renewal project in Xixi ancient village, to build it into a high-quality tourism destination for urban leisure and cultural industry. After more than three years of renovation, the ancient village once neglected has become a popular tourism destination in Dongguan, with an average of more than 20,000 tourists per day during the Spring Festival in 2021.

Location of Xixi ancient village in China  [Source: http://www.mnr.gov.cn/]

Satellite view of Xixi ancient village [Source:https://map.baidu.com]

A bird view rendering of Xixi ancient village  [Photographed by the author]

In Xixi ancient village, there are rows of historical buildings with ancient charm, reminding people the glorious history of the village. The implementation of a series of renovations created many cultural and creative elements, such as a music bar surrounded by flowers and plants, a B&B, a folk handicraft shop, a printing and dyeing experience center, and a traditional snack street. Walking through the ancient village, tourists can easily immerse themselves in the long river of time, thanks to the magnificent historical buildings, the ancient alleys paved with rubble, and the quiet and old wells.

The success of Xixi ancient village renewal project benefits from the introduction of cultural and creative elements, as well as the protection and repair of ancient buildings, which help to continue the history and culture of the village. The renewal project strengthened the place spirit of the village which is further externalized into its brand and the brand marketing helped to attract tourists and activate the vitality of the village.

Some local residents moved into new houses nearby, with their original old houses being rented to artists or businessmen for new business operation. Some still live in the village and engage in traditional business. "My income has doubled and my living conditions have been significantly improved", a local resident told us happily.

Cultural and creative B&B  [Photographed by the author]

The repaired roof of ancient buildings  [Photographed by the author]

Corner reconstruction in an ancient street  [Photographed by the author]

A B&B with the function of traditional printing and dyeing experience  [Photographed by the author]

The ancestral hall used as the exhibition hall of the renewal project （under repair） [Photographed by the author]

Written by Chai Ning