Page 74 - JCAU-6-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Elite involvement in rural revitalization

time, they regularly hold lectures, inviting primary and
secondary school students to participate in extracurricular
research and learning activities, such as “fishing” in fish
ponds and researching and participating in the process of
vegetable cultivation in ponds. For the villagers’ daily lives,
they organize rural concerts, Qingtian singing concerts,
and even fashion shows.

3.1.3. Overall village restoration
Before Professor Yan Qu came to Qingtian village, the
historical stone street in the village was dilapidated, with
sunken and uneven ground, and residents had haphazardly
installed electrical wires under the eaves of their houses.
On the arrival of Professor Yan Qu and his team, they used
government and multi-party funds to repave the roads,
relay sewage pipes, restore the ecology of the Diaolou and Figure 5. Closed academy of traditional learning. Source: Photo taken
the large pond, and repair the ancestral hall (which also by the authors
serves as a traditional school), leading to overall restoration
and improvement of the village’s physical appearance. end up with satisfying outcomes, Professor Yan Qu and
his team withdrew from Qingtian village, making the
With the tilt of official government policies, support “Qingtian Model” a good-looking propaganda tool without
from various funds, and Professor Yan Qu’s social substantial content.
background, the “Qingtian Model” is intended to revive
traditional Chinese civilization in Qingtian village, face 3.2. The “Fengjian Village”, led by capital elites
the challenges brought about by modernization, as well as Fengjian village is surrounded by water on all sides, with
rediscover and rebuild the cultural logic of rural areas,
the village built along the river and stone embankments
In October 2020, China Central Television, the stretching for over 10 km, while trees grace the riverbank,
government’s official media outlet, conducted an extensive earning it the moniker “Guangdong’s Zhouzhuang
report on the “Qingtian Model.” In April 2022, the Chinese village”—a world-famous water village in Jiangsu province.
Academy of Social Sciences included the “Qingtian Model” In 2016, Fengjian Water Township Tourism Development
in their blue book titled “Report on the Development of Co., Ltd. (Fengjian Tourism Company in short) was
Rural Cultural Construction in China (2018–2021),” established, commencing its capital operations in Fengjian
providing national-level recognition for its significance as village. In November of the same year, Fengjian village
a pilot project for rural revitalization. gained recognition as part of China’s Traditional Village
However, during the field investigation in Qingtian Inventory, included in the fourth batch by the Ministry
village in November 2021, the authors discovered that of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and other
the government’s perception of the “Qingtian Model” departments. In November 2017, it attained the prestigious
mostly exists only on paper and has not been effectively designation of National Civilized Village and Town, and
implemented. For instance, numerous restored historical on September 9, 2020, it was announced as a Beautiful and
buildings in the village have remained vacant for an Leisurely Village in China by the Office of the Ministry
extended period without being utilized efficiently. of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. However, during the
Moreover, subsequent architectural designs and authors’ field research in November 2021, it was found
transformations within the village have gradually become that beneath its picturesque surface, issues such as the lack
standardized (Figure 5), focusing solely on restoring rural of comprehensive planning, chaotic management, and
culture and architecture without achieving sustainable cultural alienation stemming from tourism development
revitalization for its residents. The majority of what is were prominent in the Fengjian village scenic area.
referred to as cultural revival primarily resides within
imagination and media reports. 3.2.1. Renovation and reuse of old buildings

It becomes evident that this “Qingtian Model” led The Fengjian Tourism Company has undertaken the
by government elites is merely wishful thinking and renovation and transformation of the village landmarks,
unsustainable. Since continuous financial support from such as the ancestral hall and other buildings, into
both governmental sources and external funds did not new spaces, such as painting and calligraphy institutes,

Volume 6 Issue 3 (2024) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2940