Protection of ancient towns: culture must be "old" and economy must be "new"
Author: Newspaper correspondent reporter Li Yun Su Xiaotong
Xinye Ancient Village, Daciyan Town, Jiande City, Zhejiang Province, is an ancient village with a long history of more than 800 years. 16 ancient ancestral halls, ancient halls, ancient towers, ancient temples and more than 200 ancient residential buildings are well preserved here.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Yu
At 17:40 on February 14, a serious fire broke out in the old village of Wengding Village, Mengjiao Minority Township, Cangyuan Va Autonomous County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province. Almost all of the old villages were burned down. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Wengding Village is the only Wa tribe in China that has completely preserved its primitive style and features, and is known as "the last primitive tribe in China."
The reporter checked the information and learned that Wengding Village presents an enclosed form-houses are arranged around the center of the village in the middle of the village, and the periphery of the house is surrounded by banyan trees planted by residents.
Although tourism development has built new houses for visits and exhibitions such as squares and museums in the north of the village, the old village of Wengding Village is the only remaining settlement in China that retains a complete settlement and living form as well as a complete original life.
Before the Spring Festival, there was also a hot topic on the Internet, "Why are there few ancient towns in the north?" The fire in the old village of Wengding Village once again aroused public attention to the protection of traditional villages.
Combining these two topics, the reporter interviewed relevant experts to help protect and develop traditional villages and towns.
Why are there fewer ancient towns in the north than in the south
The north is one of the most important places where the Chinese nation originated, with rich historical and cultural relics, including many traditional villages and towns.
Professor Xi Zhiqun of the School of History of Capital Normal University introduced: "From a historical perspective, there are not many ancient towns in the north, such as Zhuxian Town in Henan, Zhangjiawan Town in Beijing, and Yangliuqing Town in Tianjin, which are all ancient towns with a long history and high cultural value. "As of the end of 2020, there are 312 famous historical and cultural towns in China announced nationwide, and nearly a quarter are located in the northern region. Although the absolute number is considerable, why is there a gap compared with the southern region?
The reason is that relatively few traditional villages and towns in the north have been preserved.
Li Huadong, an associate professor of the Department of Urban Construction at Beijing University of Technology, believes: "In history, northern China experienced dynasties, wars and turmoil, and a large number of traditional villages and towns were destroyed or even disappeared; while the south is relatively stable, and the people can live and work in peace; Closed, traditional villages and towns can be well preserved." At present, most of the well-preserved ancient villages and towns in our country are ancient villages and towns in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. At that time, the south was a prosperous business and densely populated area. The popularity and influence of the ancient villages and towns formed by street talks and alleys still exist today.
"The Jiangnan Water Town occupies half of the national historical and cultural town, which is the foundation laid by history." Li Huadong said.
On the other hand, the preservation of historical cultural relics is one of the important criteria for the evaluation of Chinese historical and cultural towns, and the protection of some traditional villages and towns in the north is not optimistic, so there are few "lists".
Fang Ming, president of the China Academy of Urban Science Planning and Design, pointed out: "Hollowing is still the most prominent problem facing traditional villages and towns."
Most of the northern traditional villages and towns are economically underdeveloped and the labor outflow is serious. Left-behind elderly and left-behind children have become the main permanent residents of the villages and towns.
The economy is developing at a low level, not to mention the restoration of ancient buildings?
The netizen "Erhua Dafa Safeguarding Safety", the top online topic commentator, posted a number of screenshots of videos of visiting ancient villages in the north. You can see that many houses are dilapidated and shocking.
In contrast, in the economically more developed South, traditional villages and towns protection practices have been paid attention to earlier. For example, Zhouzhuang, Kunshan, Suzhou City has been planning the protection of famous towns since 1986, and then the protection of the "six towns in the south" has gradually taken shape.
In addition to the historical preservation and modern protection factors, today “the South still retains some autonomous traditions, with a heavier clan and rural consciousness, which also plays a great role in the protection of ancient villages and towns.” Guangdong University of Technology Art and Design Professor Qu Yan said.
For example, in many traditional villages and towns in Fujian and Jiangxi, the clan and family system is still relatively complete, and the related ancestral halls and other buildings have been preserved and used.
Why are there few well-known traditional villages in the north
For the development of traditional villages and towns, tourism development is still the most realistic and commonly used means at the moment, and people's evaluation of the popularity of traditional villages and towns is actually deeply influenced by tourism fever.
In recent years, many southern traditional villages and towns have become more and more famous, and they are inseparable from modern tourism development and extensive publicity.
The traditional villages and towns in the south are well protected, and they are mostly commercial and economical, so they are more conducive to tourism development and construction.
However, the tourism development of traditional villages and towns in the north is relatively late, it is difficult to find the driving force for development, and a good development model has not yet formed.
Li Huadong analyzed: “Affected by internal and external factors such as conceptual horizons, economic strength, investment environment, etc., many traditional villages and towns find it difficult to transform their own cultural characteristics into market value.” Some ancient villages and towns in the north have insufficient economic strength, and it is difficult to support them. The repair and maintenance of the building lack the motivation and strength for development, and thus cannot attract tourists, and the villages and towns also have no money to better protect and develop. In the long run, they will fall into a vicious circle.
Experts pointed out that in terms of tourist attraction, traditional villages and towns in the north and south are quite different.
The natural and cultural features of the southern region are more abundant, the climate is mild and pleasant, and the water network is dense, which is in line with people's aesthetic preference for the scenery of small bridges, flowing water, white walls and black tiles. Therefore, traditional southern villages and towns are more suitable for leisure travel.
Coupled with local momentum and media propaganda, tourism in traditional villages and towns in the south continues to increase.
In the northern region, there is a drought and lack of water. Seasonal differences are obvious. Most of them are military and traffic arterial types. To a certain extent, this affects the attractiveness of northern traditional villages and towns, and their reputation is difficult to win.
Some netizens also believe that "the ancient villages and towns in the south are not'ancient', and the cottages and antique villages are not as real as the bleak northern ancient towns." Although the public awareness is not high, many traditional villages and towns in the north retain their authenticity. The status of, with high value, has been developed and promoted to a certain extent, and it is still famous in the academic circle, travel circle, and photography circle.
Nuanquan Town, Yuxian County, Hebei, Qikou Town, Linxian County, Shanxi, Shendian Township, Sheqi, Henan, and Qingmuchuan Township, Ningqiang, Shaanxi all have good reputations.
Where is the protection road for traditional villages and towns?
A fire in Wengding Village has "detonated" many confusions and controversies in the protection of traditional Chinese villages.
As the village protection volunteer Tang Min said: "The information dissemination power of this fire is countless times greater than the honorary title of Weng Ding. Weng Ding appeared in front of the world with unprecedented exposure and forced everyone at a painful price. Deeply discuss the topic of protection, activation and utilization of traditional villages. We can't live up to Weng Ding's sacrifice and must use this as an opportunity to find a way for thousands of traditional villages."
Traditional buildings and street textures are the material carriers of the core values of traditional villages and towns, and they are also important objects of protection.
"For traditional villages and towns with a large number, a wide range, and great difficulty in protecting cultural relics, we must be more vigilant about the problem of demolishing the real and building the fake." Xi Zhiqun said.
Many ancient cities such as Datong and Liaocheng have been criticized by reports due to large-scale demolition and construction.
In addition, in recent years, with people's attention to the humane environment and intangible cultural heritage, the tendency of "emphasis on material and humanity" in the protection, display and utilization of traditional villages and towns has also improved.
Li Huadong said: "The core value of traditional northern villages and towns is exactly the difference between them and the south. We need to find ways and means to turn this difference into attractiveness." Ancient northern villages and towns need to dig deeper, protect and utilize their own characteristics. , Can not blindly imitate the southern experience model.
The town of Yangliuqing in Tianjin is famous for the national intangible cultural heritage "Yangliuqing Woodblock New Year Pictures".
Nowadays, non-genetic inheritors gather in the town, and cultural spaces such as the New Year Painting Museum, Folk Culture Museum, Ming and Qing Street have also been established. Many painting houses provide production site visits and visitor experience activities. The "Yangliuqing International Woodblock New Year Painting Festival" has been held for many times. The New Year painting culture has been vigorously promoted.
The experience of Yangliuqing Town lies in the inheritance and development of intangible cultural heritage, highlighting the cultural characteristics of the ancient town.
Another example is Qikou Town in Linxian County, Shanxi Province. From Ming and Qing to the Republic of China, by virtue of the Yellow River water transportation, it became a major commercial town in the north.
Relying on the advantages of natural geography, the ancient town develops natural scenic spots such as "Yellow River Rafting", "Second Moraine Surfing", "Kirin Beach", "Yellow River Gallery"; focusing on protecting old cultural sites such as piers, shops, chambers of commerce, money houses, and security bureaus, and exploring and promoting Shanxi merchants culture ; The use of traditional buildings on the Loess Plateau to develop residential experience has attracted more and more tourists.
On the basis of the protection of historical cultural relics, the development of characteristic tourism provides a good model for the development of northern ancient towns.
Tourism development can increase the reputation of traditional villages and towns, but it should not blindly cater to market demand and avoid excessive commercialization and tourism chaos. The lessons of the ancient city of Lijiang are still worthy of vigilance.
The protection and inheritance of traditional culture is the primary task, while economic development is the value-added benefit.
Tang Min expressed the voice of many people: “We must gain wisdom from the Wengding fire through remembrance and remembrance, instead of focusing on the development of novel tourism in ancient towns.” Qu Yan pointed out: “If it is not based on villages and local residents. The rejuvenation of the subject does not emphasize the construction of a sense of homeland. Blindly developing commerce and tourism will bring about many disastrous consequences."
Traditional villages and towns are important witnesses to the historical and cultural development of our country, as well as the places where the people live.
Fang Ming said: “Although our traditional villages and towns have a history of hundreds or even thousands of years, they must be integrated into the new urban-rural pattern in the future.” Therefore, experts coincidentally pointed out that, with a heart of awe, rigorous research and long-term Planning, prudential practice, and the protection and development of traditional villages and towns with a sustainable concept are the way forward.
(Our reporter Li Yun, our correspondent Su Xiaotong)