Page 77 - JCAU-5-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Chinese troglodyte villages toward tourism

and Cultural Site protected at the national level, and all Residences, 2008). Modern urban development, on the
historic cave dwellings have been recovered and enhanced, one hand, and the tourist pressure related to the Wang
becoming a must-see for red tourism. Courtyard, on the other, are crushing the historic housing

Musealization is the approach also for underground fabric, endangering the survival of traditional folk villages
spaces with hybrid functions, such as those initially built (Figure 3). Furthermore, vernacular architecture has
for military and defensive functions. This is the case of the mostly been restored or rebuilt with new materials in the
Zhangbi fortified village, Jiexiu City in Shanxi (Figure 6). traditional style. Modernizing the structures with different
The ancient village, from the Sui (581 ‒ 618) and Tang colored plasters, cables, water heaters, and antennas creates
(618 ‒ 907) dynasties, stands on steep rocky cliffs, having a truly chaotic and confusing effect.
been pierced by an intricate tunnel system. The tunnels Similar problems affect Qikou town, Lin County,
were created for military and defense purposes and have Luliang city in Shanxi (Wang, 2016). As a prosperous
been connected to dwellings and spaces with varied uses. historic land-and-water port along the Yellow River since
Nowadays, the village is still vital, and the underground the Ming dynasty, the town lost its strategic role around the
system has been recovered and turned into a museum. 1930s due to the introduction of rail transport and fell into
The ticket gives access to three tunnel levels, including decline. After years of almost total abandonment, starting
mangers, furnaces, wells, grain silos, flood prevention from 2004, the city has been the subject of an international
structures, and wall communication facilities. debate for the conservation of traditional architecture,
In all these tourist-oriented reuses, interpretation action aspiring for the candidacy for UNESCO site (Chen, 2004;
represents the first step as the basis for the reconversion Ma, 2006; Yan, 2018). Nonetheless, recent tourism – both
projects. cultural and ecological – development started, triggering a
process of urban and infrastructural transformation, which
Re-building and destruction are other actions adopted can put the historic town and its cultural landscape at risk.
in the tourist-oriented development strategy. In truth, On the one hand, particularly in the outlying areas, some
these practices are widespread in variable proportions in cave dwellings have been abandoned and filled in, left for
almost all cases and are considered part of modernization collapse or demolition (Figure 7A). In some cases, they have
and urban development. Nonetheless, “developmental been rebuilt with modern materials according to traditional
destruction and constructional destruction” seem to have typologies, adapting to the needs of modern lifestyle
a more significant impact on vital centers, if they arise near (Figure 7B). On the other hand, the threat of highway access
the famous tourist attractions (Zhang et al., 2021). This is to Qikou and the creation of the highway along the river
the case of the Jingsheng village, Lingshi County in Shanxi
(Ping & Chunyang, 2022), an old yaodong village from Yuan call for disrupting its historic waterfront access. For these
(1271 ‒ 1368) to the early Ming (1368 ‒ 1644) dynasties. It reasons, since 2006, the site has been under observation by
the World Monument Fund (World Monument Fund, n.d.).
overlooks the Wang Family Compound, which is a well-
known tourist attraction as it is one of 123 residences of Regarding the abandonment action, it must be stated that
the “Historic Residences in Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces” abandoned spaces have been identified in almost all the cases
submitted in 2008 for inclusion in the UNESCO World evaluated. This practice is regular in urban development
Heritage Tentative List, for the cultural category (Ancient and generally concerns spaces no longer relevant or usable

A B C

Figure 6. Zhangbi village, Jiexiu City, Shanxi province, 2018. (A) A diorama illustrating the structure of the hill, with the city built on top of the network
of underground tunnels. (B) An old yaodong, along the slope of the hill facing the valley, used as a tourist shop. (C) Renovation of a yaodong connected
directly to the tunnel network. Source: Photos by Laura Genovese

Volume 5 Issue 2 (2023) 9 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0940