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Revival of Pingtian Village in Songyang County Sun, et al.

In terms of the planning and construction traditional way of living and production,
projects in Pingtian, the government financed shaped by natural environment, and guided by
all the projects of public interest and the philosophy of harmony between human
infrastructure, including the construction of and nature. They are formed gradually
the fire pool, modification of electric lines, through a long period of time, according to its
water pipes and drainage system, safety and own logic of development. Only through in-
disaster prevention projects, improvement of depth research and study can we formulate
the village landscape, and so on. The heritage values in the plan to serve as the basis
government also provided financial support to of conservation and utilization. At the same
important cultural and public facilities in the time, evoking a sense of cultural identity
village. Government support can bring the among the villagers through publicity and
[7]
first leap to the revitalization of a village . education is also necessary, so that the
For example, two facilities that played an villagers can reach a consensus on
important role in Pingtian’s development, the conservation and engage in conservation
Agriculture Exhibition Hall and Handcraft voluntarily. Social cohesion and local identity
[9]
Workshop, were invested by the government, are critical to the development of villages .
and entrusted to the villages for management The second task of the plan is to set
and use. conservation limits and directions for
development. The plan should draw on the
1.3 Village plan: Certainty and flexibility research and analysis of current condition as
Village plans are often blamed for well as the industry trend in the future to
infeasibility. Does it mean that village plans propose development directions for the
are not necessary in the process of rural village.
vitalization? Of course not. Planning plays a The third task of planning is to improve
different role in rural areas compared to the infrastructure and living conditions in the
cities. In terms of the conservation and village, as well as to complete safety and
development of traditional villages, the focus disaster prevention facilities. Only when the
of the village plan and its implementation living conditions in villages are as good as
measures should be adjusted according to the that in the cities, rural lives can be truly
conservation goal and the management attractive.
mechanism of the village. Most of the The core value of Pingtian village is its
traditional villages are facing problems like intact historic environment and the
the absence of industry and the deterioration harmonious relationship between the village
of infrastructure. The conservation of and its surroundings. The plan needs to
traditional villages not only needs to conserve holistically preserve the landscape around the
the attributes of heritage values, but also village, as well as the historic buildings that
needs to protect the right of development of are crucial to the traditional characteristics of
the villagers. It is important to promote the village. Family shrines, incense halls,
conservation through development and temples, and important Fengshui forests need
empower the village with the capacity to to continue to serve its traditional functions
develop, so that the problem of rural decay and be conserved carefully. For residential
can be really solved. The most important buildings of relatively low architectural
thing in village revival is to retain local values, the interiors can be adapted to
villagers, and to form a sustainable improve the living standard.
relationship between economic development In terms of architecture, there are 15
[8]
and traditional protection . traditional residences in the village that date
Planning should focus on the following back from Qing dynasty (1644‒1911) to the
tasks. First, current resources, heritage values, Republic of China (1912‒1949), two of which
and pinpoint attributes should be analyzed. are listed as historic buildings of Songyang
Traditional villages are founded on a county. They need key conservation measures.

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