Keeping a legacy alive

Village houses in Jiangxi province are getting a new lease on life thanks to government funds and the efforts of the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation

Some years ago, Xu Zaiji moved out from his old family home in Putang village in East China's Jiangxi province that had been passed down from generation to generation for about 400 years to an apartment in a nearby city, part of a trend that left the village almost empty. In March, the 66-year-old moved back to his old house after its renovation. This time, Xu is part of a growing trend in which villagers are renovating their dilapidated old houses and returning to the village where they grew up.

"If they are in good condition, the old houses are cool in summer and warm in winter. I don't like living in my city apartment as it was too hot," says Xu. Some of Xu's relatives plan to return to live with him in the newly renovated 300-square-meter house with open courtyard.

Unlike those in other places who replace their old houses with modern buildings, people in Jinxi just build new ones not far away from their villages when they decide to move out of their old homes.

Putang village has more than 60 old traditional houses dating back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. With stone walls and wooden interior structures, all of them are either in poor condition or on the verge of collapse. Renovating them can cost tens of thousands yuan, which is expensive for villagers who make their livings farming rice fields. The average yearly per capita income among the villages is less than 10,000 yuan ($1,580), says Xu.