Page 60 - JCAU-5-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Protection and utilization of traditional villages

adapting to the changes of rural natural and humanistic In this paper, current theoretical studies on the
environment and promoting rural transformation and conservation and utilization of traditional villages
development in the new era (Hu et al., 2014). Since 2012, were compiled. The previous literature on the living
China has published six batches of traditional village conservation of traditional villages in China was mostly
protection lists, and the protection and utilization of focused on conservation models, conservation planning,
traditional villages have been carried out one after another and conservation methods (Zhang et al., 2017; Sun
nationwide, but they have been relatively ineffective. & Zhang, 2017; Yang & Guan, 2018; Liu et al., 2022).
In recent years, along with the continuous promotion Some scholars have also noted that the protection of
of urbanization, traditional villages have encountered traditional villages should be coordinated with urban
difficulties like “constructive destruction,” “material decay,” development and have recognized that the protection
imbalance of the natural environment, and loss of historical and utilization of traditional villages is a dynamic process
culture due to modernization. Traditional villages in that requires a holistic mindset to achieve both protection
rapidly urbanizing areas are subject to different degrees of and renewal (Wei et al., 2022; Feng, 2015; Zhang, 2017).
interference from external environments and are gradually Foreign scholars believe that for historical and cultural
eroded or assimilated (Wei et al., 2021). As representatives heritage, “conservation” represents utilization, reuse, and
of traditional settlements in rapidly urbanizing areas, most transformation, and has a broader meaning (Larkham,
of the traditional villages in Dongguan have been reduced 2003), suggesting that environmental factors (including
to urban villages in the process of urbanization and have lost natural environmental factors and political, economic,
their original unique charm; the few villages that have been and cultural factors) have a more profound impact
better protected have gradually integrated into the regional on the development of settlements (Pinto-Correia &
development pattern in the process of urbanization and Kristensen, 2013; Sumarmi et al., 2020), but some scholars
have been reborn through organic integration into modern have realized from early on that for the conservation of
life while preserving and inheriting their own historical historical and cultural heritage in the period of rapid
culture. urbanization, it is necessary to follow the market rules
In September 2021, the General Office of the Central and combine conservation and reconstruction (Lee, 1996;
Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Yeoh & Huang, 1996; Aigwi et al., 2019).
the General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions In general, there has been much research output in
on Strengthening the Protection and Inheritance of History academia on the dynamic conservation and utilization of
and Culture in Urban and Rural Construction” (hereinafter traditional villages. However, there is a lack of theoretical
referred to as “Opinions”). The Opinions require that research on the “dynamic conservation” of traditional
“strengthening the protection and utilization of historical villages in rapidly urbanizing areas, especially research
and cultural heritage should promote utilization through on the “living regeneration” of traditional villages with
revitalization and preservation through utilization, so specific cases needs to be further developed. Based on
that historical culture and modern life can be integrated this, we took Jiangbian Village in Qishi Town, Dongguan
to achieve perpetual inheritance; and traditional cultural City as a case study, analyzed the driving factors of the
elements should be protected by encouraging inheritance dynamic conservation of traditional villages in the rapidly
and innovation, integrating the protection and inheritance urbanizing areas, explored the dynamic conservation
of historical and cultural heritage into economic and social and utilization strategies of traditional villages in the
development, and integrating historical culture with urban local context, in hopes of providing case references for
and rural development” (General Office of the Central the conservation and utilization of traditional villages in
Committee of the CPC & General Office of the State rapidly urbanizing areas.
Council, 2021), which provides an important policy basis
for the regeneration of traditional villages. However, at the 2. Analysis of historical heritage
same time, due to the gap between urban and rural regional characteristics and urban-rural relations in
development, the diversification of individual needs Jiangbian Village
and land use, the regional function of villages gradually
transforms from a single-function to a multifunctional one 2.1. Historical and heritage features of Jiangbian
(Liu et al., 2016; Yang et al., 2015), and presents significant Village
spatial and temporal gap and regional differences (Long Jiangbian Village was included in the first list of traditional
et al., 2012). Therefore, grasping the special characteristics villages in China in 2012. It is located in the middle
of traditional villages in rapidly urbanizing areas and turn of Qishi Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province
them into developmental advantages is a key issue. (Figure 1). The village was named after the Dongjiang

Volume 5 Issue 1 (2023) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.406