Page 157 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Emotive architecture in China

prompting repeated watching and sharing, maintaining
interest over time, and culminating in the topic ranking in
the top ten 17 times, highlighting the program’s sustained
relevance and popularity.
The completed Xiaoxi Jia has evolved into more than
just a minsu; it has turned into a tourist attraction, drawing
numerous visitors to the remote valley. Feedback from
visitors who experienced the house firsthand revealed
profound emotional responses – some described it as a
retreat to nature, while others likened it to the melancholy
of sentimentality. Local residents take pride in the house,
feeling that their homes and hometowns are now recognized
as extremely precious (Figure 23). Concurrently, local
craftsmen are proud of the innovative forms of traditional
craftsmanship showcased in the house (Figure 24).
The success of Xiaoxi Jia has stimulated the local
economy and enhanced cultural influence, igniting
nationwide enthusiasm for rural construction. Its impact
has extended across the country, inspiring many regions
to pursue similar projects, including contemporary
innovative minsu, and catalyzing a boom in rural minsu
construction.
Similarly, despite opening during the pandemic, the
Figure 24. Xiaoxi Jia Project: Local craftsmen take pride in the innovative
forms of traditional craftsmanship exhibited by the house. Source: Photos RouTing project successfully attracted considerable
by WEI Architects (2016) attention. Visitors drawn to the building promoted the
brand spontaneously on social media (Figure 25), boosting
product sales and facilitating widespread brand promotion.
Its success has laid a solid foundation for the brand’s
expansion into well-known commercial districts. Despite
the challenges of the pandemic and macroeconomic
impacts from 2020 to 2023, the brand has expanded to
six stores in major cities such as Beijing and Chengdu,
realizing its vision.

It is worth noting that both locales have continued to
undergo significant transformations since the completion
of these two projects.

The Xiaoxi Jia project was completed by the end of
2016, after which the national strategy and planning for
rural revitalization began to take clearer shape. The release
of the rural revitalization strategy plan (2018 – 2022) in
2017 signified the concrete implementation of this macro
strategy. Meanwhile, the minsu industry grew rapidly and
was officially recognized and regulated by the state in 2019
(Government of China, 2019). By November 2020, all
national-level impoverished counties had declared poverty
eradication, and the National Poverty County Assistance
project concluded (Government of China, 2020). In
December of the same year, the importance of solving
the Sannong issue was reaffirmed, and rural revitalization
Figure 25. The RouTing Project successfully attracted considerable became a national strategic priority (Government of
attention. Source: Photos by WEI Architects (2020) China, 2023a).

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 16 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1606