Background and Significance of the Project

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the number of natural villages in China has sharply declined. From 3.63 million in 2000 to 2.36 million in 2020, there has been a decrease of 1.27 million villages in the past two decades, averaging about 174 villages disappearing every day. Among these seemingly vast numbers of natural villages, traditional villages are even scarcer. By the end of 2019, only 6,819 traditional villages were listed for protection, accounting for only 0.27% of the total number of natural villages. The work of saving traditional villages is urgently needed.

At the same time, traditional villages face numerous real challenges. Against the backdrop of accelerating globalization and urbanization, young people in traditional villages mostly migrate for work, leaving behind mostly the elderly and children. Many historical buildings are left unoccupied and unmaintained, gradually deteriorating. The phenomenon of "empty houses with no one living in them" has emerged, leading to a decline in traditional villages' capacity to develop in the context of the social and economic transformation of the new era. They face challenges such as a lack of talent, insufficient funding, a single industry, and a lack of successors in traditional culture.

Facing the complex and systemic challenge of saving traditional villages, in the previous event, the work camp launched the inaugural "Rural Crowdfunding Plan." The historic and cultural village of Lianghu in Gaoping City, Shanxi Province, China, was selected as the research subject. Following the approach of investigating problems, identifying problems, analyzing problems, and solving problems, the camp planned to empower rural areas with business formats while raising funds for the preservation of endangered ancient buildings. This enabled young students to practice their social responsibility in protecting, revitalizing, and empowering rural areas. The specific activities were carried out through the "Rural Crowdfunding" model, which involved on-site research, design competitions, online voting, crowdfunding, on-ground renovation, and local operations.

In Lianghu Village, the camp participants addressed issues such as the lack of thriving industries and insufficient funding during the village's development process. They proposed macro strategies that combined local cultural characteristics with the development of local rural brands. These strategies were then refined into five groups of village revitalization and historical building renovation plans that aligned with the local economic development level. The plans included a sugar sculpture experience hall, an escape room, a craftsman's house, a temple theater, and a cultural and creative center. They were presented to the public through online platforms. The winning plan was determined based on expert evaluation and online voting results.

In the 2022 "Preserving Traditional Rural Communities" work camp, the same principles and content from the previous event will be continued. The camp will once again engage in renovation practices in Lianghu Village and ensure the effective use, operation, and maintenance of the constructed facilities. The aim is to explore the protection, revitalization, and rejuvenation of traditional villages in the new era by integrating theory and practice.

Project Objectives

The Preserving Traditional Rural Communities Project aims to leverage the academic strengths of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. It adopts a problem-oriented approach, combining field investigations, team collaboration, professional guidance, and project competitions. It encourages mainland Chinese youth to join hands with students from Hong Kong, Macau, and international backgrounds to contribute their creativity and compassion. The project aims to provide practical and viable solutions for vanishing traditional rural communities. The specific tasks include:

Based on the current condition of the buildings, create construction drawings and collaborate with traditional craftsmen to restore and repair damaged traditional houses (such as the "Geng Du Di" house).

Develop commercial operation plans for the restored buildings (village revitalization) and provide detailed implementation guidelines.

Collaborate with the village committee, tourism companies, and local residents to establish agreements on building usage and maintenance.

Encourage participants to design and produce posters, logos, videos, photo albums, cultural and creative products, and other related items.