Jingning She autonomous county in Lishui, East China's Zhejiang province, is home to a large number of ancient villages. [Photo/lsnews.com.cn]

Jingning She autonomous county, which is rich in history and culture, is in Lishui, East China's Zhejiang province. The county is home to a large number of ancient villages.

Cultivate ecological industry and retain the beauty of history

Dongyang village in Jingnan town is more than 1,200 meters above sea level and has the highest cultivated land in Zhejiang. The village has a history of more than 1,000 years.

In recent years, with the advantages of ecological resources, the village has actively renovated its unused ancient dwellings to preserve the appearance of the historic village, and set up the management of a summer resort, farmhouse homestay, characteristic catering, primitive forest climbing, cycling sports and other health and recreational projects.

Today, Dongyang village has transformed from a barren mountain village to a tourist spot with good ecology, beautiful scenery and rich folk customs.

Inheritance of Fu culture

Mingyuan village in Dongkeng town has an average elevation of more than 1,300 m and a history of over 880 years. Since the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1276), the villagers celebrate Fu (good fortune) on certain days of the year.

In 2014, the first Fu culture festival was held in Mingyuan village, which was named the "research and inheritance base of Fu culture in Southern Song Dynasty ancient village".

Meanwhile, the village adheres to the principle of restoring the old dwellings in the original style, which ensures existing historic buildings are effectively protected.

Renewal of ancient village underway

Gaoyan village in Wutong town is an ancient village has a history of nearly 600 years. In recent years, by repairing ancient buildings, improving folk culture, attracting talents to return and developing modern agriculture, the village has explored  characteristic methods of renewal.

In 2014, the village was listed in the third batch of national traditional village protection list, and in 2016, it was rated in the fourth batch of key villages for the protection and utilization of cultural villages in Zhejiang province.

The village are 67 traditional buildings, among which there are five historic buildings from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and 21 traditional buildings from the Republic of China period (1912-1949) to the 1970s.