Page 75 - JCAU-6-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Elite involvement in rural revitalization

exhibition halls, bookstores, and retail spaces. These While the Lingnan Cultural and Creative Park has
spaces are intended to serve as leisure and cultural sharing evolved into little more than an empty expanse, serving
venues for both villagers and tourists, aiming to revive primarily as a symbolic structure, several genuinely
and strengthen rural vitality. However, during the actual valuable cultural heritages within the scenic area remain
renovation process, various problems emerged, such as inadequately protected. The Yonghe Academy, for instance,
ignoring the cultural connotations of the buildings in is damaged and collapsed yet remains unrepaired. In
favor of superficial renovations and the forced creation addition, the stone tablet commemorating nominees
of Instagram-worthy spots. In addition, it is puzzling to who successfully passed the highest-level Imperial
observe that the restored ancestral hall is either inaccessible Examinations has been used as paving and subjected to
to the public or left unused (Figure 6). daily foot traffic and disregard (Figures 8 and 9).

3.2.2. Preservation of the original style and 3.3. The “Gulang Village”, led by intellectual elites
characteristic culture Gulang village boasts a history dating back over 700 years,
The Fengjian Tourism Company has established the originating at the end of the Song dynasty (960 – 1279) and
Fengjian Lingnan Cultural and Art Exhibition Center the beginning of the Yuan dynasty (1279 – 1368). Despite
and the Lingnan Cultural and Creative Park to preserve its proximity to the famous Fengjian village, Gulang village
the existing features and cultural characteristics of maintains its simplicity and tranquility, so much so that
the area. Their aim is to develop distinctive tourism not a single restaurant graces its streets. In 2018, retired
projects, assist villagers in building characteristic bed and artist Shixiong Wu arrived in Gulang village. His dual
breakfasts (B&B), harness surrounding resources, and identities as a village squire and intellectual elite allowed
gradually establish a tourism-supporting industrial chain. him to seamlessly integrate into village life.
This initiative is designed to raise the income of local
villagers, foster agricultural cooperatives, and cultivate a 3.3.1. Community environment building
community of shared interests. Furthermore, the company Shixiong Wu embarked on an extensive effort to connect
has introduced cultural and art conservation and creation with the villagers, initiating the “Most Beautiful Courtyard”
organizations such as the Ancestral Hall Restoration community beautification campaign. Collaborating
Association and the Calligraphy and Painting Institute to with the villagers, he mobilized them to participate in
spearhead a series of activities aimed at inheriting historical the beautification of community public spaces and their
culture and traditional folk arts. However, various problems own courtyards. This endeavor encompassed a series of
have emerged during the implementation process. For activities, including wall paintings, planting greenery and
example, the monthly rent for storefronts along the main flowers, conducting beautification classes, and creating
tourist route within the scenic area can exceed 1000 USD, public landscapes, all aimed at preserving rural ecology
while outside the scenic area, rents drop significantly to (Figures 10 and 11). In addition, Shixiong Wu voluntarily
around 200 USD. This discrepancy leaves villagers without collected the scattered steles commemorating nominees
storefronts, lacking in additional income opportunities. who passed the highest-level Imperial Examinations,
Moreover, they must contend with inflated prices within
the scenic area and occasional disturbances from tourists
(Figure 7).

Figure 6. Closed ancestral hall. Source: Photo taken by the authors Figure 7. Villagers at the stall. Source: Photo by the authors

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