Linyi adds 15 villages to national traditional village list, 57 to provincial list

Linyi in East China's Shandong province now has 15 villages on China's national traditional village list and 57 on the provincial list, with 63 traditional dwellings included in a provincial pilot for conservation and reuse, the municipal government information office said at a press conference on Oct 22.

Yishui and Mengyin counties have been designated national and provincial demonstration counties for clustered conservation of traditional villages.

The city follows a principle of repairing structures as they were with minimal intervention, using local materials and traditional techniques to avoid homogenized renovation. In Xiahui town, Yishui county, workers used local rough stone and fish-scale slate with a dry-stacked wall technique to restore revolutionary-era buildings. Nearly 200 traditional dwellings have been repaired citywide.

The city has also upgraded infrastructure, fire safety and environmental cleanup in the villages. The Zhuang family compound in Dadian town, Junan county, combined building restoration with standardized fire safety measures, and Jiujianpeng and Lijiashiwu villages in Pingyi county improved facilities alongside tourism development.

More than 400 traditional buildings have been converted into guesthouses, exhibition halls and study tour venues, drawing visitors and creating jobs for over 10,000 residents. Mengyin county built red-themed corridors and memorial halls, and Changshanzhuang village in Yinan county stages live revolutionary performances.

The city has brought traditional village protection into local regulations including the Linyi Beautiful Village Regulations and the Linyi Civilized Village Regulations, and has completed village-by-village records and plaques for all 15 national and 57 provincial listed villages. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Shandong housing department have promoted the city's approach.

Editor：韩蒙蒙