Village in SE China's Fujian revives old buildings

Photo shows Chang'an village in Changle district, Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Jiang Liang)

Chang'an village in Changle district, Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, is full of old buildings. However, many of them have been left vacant and unprotected.

In 2016, the Party branch of the village and the villagers’ committee decided to build a scenic area by contracting out the right to use old buildings and developing the nighttime economy, according to Lin Yanyun, first secretary of the village.

"But at first, many villagers were unwilling to transfer the right of use of their ancestral dwellings due to their traditional views. Also, some villagers worried that their rights and interests would be harmed," Lin Yanyun said.

Photo shows the ancestral dwelling of the family of Lin Liying in Chang'an village, Changle district, Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Chen Mingqing)

But things took an unexpected turn when Lin Yanyun came across Lin Liying, who had returned to offer sacrifices to her ancestors. Lin's family has an ancestral dwelling that had been left vacant for six years in the centre of the village. Knowing that Lin Liying wanted to transfer the right of use of the ancestral dwelling, most of Lin Liying's family members voiced support, while some disagreed with the idea.

Village officials then spoke to members of Lin Liying's family to explain to them how the village planned to restore and reuse the ancestral dwelling, and showed them a contract specifying clear ownership of the building.

In the end, Lin Liying's family decided to transfer the use right of the ancestral dwelling for free to support the village's development.

In 2016, Chang'an village invested 250,000 yuan (about $35,098) to restore the ancestral dwelling and build a library and study tour base. The dwelling has become a great place for villagers to take part in cultural, entertainment, leisure and fitness activities, and has helped the village gain more popularity.

Photo shows the ancestral dwelling of the family of Lin Liying in Chang'an village, Changle district, Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Chen Mingqing)

The transfer of the ancestral dwelling of Lin's family encouraged more villagers to follow suit.

Last year, Chang'an village registered a company to build the scenic area featuring old buildings, which then attracted coffee shops, B&B hotels and restaurants, injecting new momentum into the village's development.

So far, Chang'an village has revitalized 12 old buildings, including four that have been turned into non-profit venues and eight profit-seeking ones, such as cultural and creative and study tour bases. The combination of these renovated multi-functional old houses with the nighttime economy has attracted throngs of visitors to Chang'an village. Last year, these old buildings generated over 300,000 yuan in fiscal revenue for the village, after costs.

Photo shows a night view of the scenic area featuring old buildings in Chang'an village, Changle district, Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Jiang Liang)