Rural areas are given a modern makeover
China Daily, 04-11-2016
Zhu Shengxuan is going all out to find new ways to repurpose China's villages and entice more people to come back and live in the countryside. [Photo/China Daily]
An important social movement in China took place at the beginning of the 20th century when acclaimed scholar Liang Shuming called on fellow intellectuals to participate in the reform of rural areas stricken by extreme poverty after years of war.
As part of efforts to raise the quality of life in these areas, this group of scholars set up schools and came up with measures to improve agricultural farm technology. The movement continued for seven years until the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression started in 1937.
A century has since passed and some young intellectuals still hold onto a similar dream, though the movement has now taken on a new meaning－to preserve culture and heritage.
Zhu Shengxuan is one such supporter. Formerly a landscaping design consultant with Shanghai Expo, Zhu decided to exit the industry after a cancer operation in 2010 spurred him to rethink his life and career.
"I began to realize that the more landscapes I designed, the further away I got from the green fields," says the 40-year-old architect whose father is a farmer. "I can't leave my city life, but I can't give up countryside land either."
Though he has lived in Shanghai for more than 10 years, Zhu says that he still has a strong emotional connection to his village in Baoshan, Yunnan province. After recovering from his operation, Zhu decided to return to countryside in an attempt to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Zhu Shengxuan is the founder of Shanghai Urban and Countryside Interactive Development Center. [Photo/China Daily]
Minimal pollution
In 2011, Zhu visited the Moganshan Mountains in Zhejiang province. There, he discovered that because the area's water source was designated as a protected zone by the authorities, all livestock and farming practices in the vicinity were outlawed in order to minimize pollution.
Many people in the affected areas who had relied primarily on farming to make a living now had no means to earn an income. Many young people soon left their homes to work in the cities, leaving their elderly parents behind. Many homes were left vacant. Swathes of land were left untouched.
The scene sparked an idea in Zhu's head. In 2012, he decided to use his money to lease an abandoned farm from the local government for 20 years. With his 8-million-yuan investment, Zhu went about introducing reforms in the village, repurposing old houses and combining them to form a 13-room boutique hotel. Nearby, he grew corn, sweet potatoes and a variety of other vegetables without the use of pesticides.
But Zhu was still not satisfied with the progress. He knew that almost all the traditional industries in Moganshan, including those that harvest bamboo as a raw construction material, were not going to develop any more. To ensure that the village remained relevant in the modern era, Zhu renovated an abandoned silkworm farm at the foot of the mountain, turning it into a creative arts space featuring traditional handicrafts such as making cotton shoes, as well as amenities including a modern cafe, a tea house, a bicycle club, a bookstore, a small theater and design studio.
"I am looking for ways to entice more people to come back and stay in the countryside. I want to build a bridge to promote interaction between cities and countryside. Rural reform needs government policy support, but it also needs contributions from individuals," says Zhu, who is also involved in several other village reform projects and has set up the Shanghai Urban and Countryside Interactive Development Center.
Zhu Shengxuan. [Photo/China Daily]
Inputs from locals
Before creating the blueprint for his new village reform project in Jijiadun, Kunshan, Jiangsu province, Zhu talked to most of the 142 families in the area to find out what were the things they hoped to retain. This is because he believes it is imperative that, regardless of how beautiful the new architecture in the area is, traditions have to be kept alive.
Echoing his views is Xue Rongquan. The 75-year-old farmer wants to keep the old fishing boat that he had since he was 15.
The farmer also says: "When the reforms are completed next year, I'd like to come back and help build up a farming team to plant rice."
Zhu's efforts have not gone unnoticed by the authorities. After all, the Chinese government has in recent times been emphasizing on the need to fully utilize empty houses and vacant land to develop traditional handicrafts, agriculture and tourism. This year's No 1 Central Government Document, the first policy document jointly released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, again focuses on agriculture, rural community and farming-related issues.
Together with the local government in Jijiadun, Zhu will also be setting up a gallery comprising old items belonging to many of the old farmers, such as a century-old millstone and brick sculptures in the shape of tigers. One of the goals of this project is to draw more visitors from the cities to learn about the local culture and way of life.
"Young people from these rural areas don't necessarily need to migrate to big cities. With such reforms, land will be valuable and their lives can actually be more comfortable than in urban areas. In the near future, more and more people from the cities will also be willing to relocate to villages, be it to change their lifestyles or to run businesses," says Zhu.
China Daily, 04-11-2016
Zhu Shengxuan is going all out to find new ways to repurpose China's villages and entice more people to come back and live in the countryside. [Photo/China Daily]
An important social movement in China took place at the beginning of the 20th century when acclaimed scholar Liang Shuming called on fellow intellectuals to participate in the reform of rural areas stricken by extreme poverty after years of war.
As part of efforts to raise the quality of life in these areas, this group of scholars set up schools and came up with measures to improve agricultural farm technology. The movement continued for seven years until the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression started in 1937.
A century has since passed and some young intellectuals still hold onto a similar dream, though the movement has now taken on a new meaning－to preserve culture and heritage.
Zhu Shengxuan is one such supporter. Formerly a landscaping design consultant with Shanghai Expo, Zhu decided to exit the industry after a cancer operation in 2010 spurred him to rethink his life and career.
"I began to realize that the more landscapes I designed, the further away I got from the green fields," says the 40-year-old architect whose father is a farmer. "I can't leave my city life, but I can't give up countryside land either."
Though he has lived in Shanghai for more than 10 years, Zhu says that he still has a strong emotional connection to his village in Baoshan, Yunnan province. After recovering from his operation, Zhu decided to return to countryside in an attempt to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Zhu Shengxuan is the founder of Shanghai Urban and Countryside Interactive Development Center. [Photo/China Daily]
Minimal pollution
In 2011, Zhu visited the Moganshan Mountains in Zhejiang province. There, he discovered that because the area's water source was designated as a protected zone by the authorities, all livestock and farming practices in the vicinity were outlawed in order to minimize pollution.
Many people in the affected areas who had relied primarily on farming to make a living now had no means to earn an income. Many young people soon left their homes to work in the cities, leaving their elderly parents behind. Many homes were left vacant. Swathes of land were left untouched.
The scene sparked an idea in Zhu's head. In 2012, he decided to use his money to lease an abandoned farm from the local government for 20 years. With his 8-million-yuan investment, Zhu went about introducing reforms in the village, repurposing old houses and combining them to form a 13-room boutique hotel. Nearby, he grew corn, sweet potatoes and a variety of other vegetables without the use of pesticides.
But Zhu was still not satisfied with the progress. He knew that almost all the traditional industries in Moganshan, including those that harvest bamboo as a raw construction material, were not going to develop any more. To ensure that the village remained relevant in the modern era, Zhu renovated an abandoned silkworm farm at the foot of the mountain, turning it into a creative arts space featuring traditional handicrafts such as making cotton shoes, as well as amenities including a modern cafe, a tea house, a bicycle club, a bookstore, a small theater and design studio.
"I am looking for ways to entice more people to come back and stay in the countryside. I want to build a bridge to promote interaction between cities and countryside. Rural reform needs government policy support, but it also needs contributions from individuals," says Zhu, who is also involved in several other village reform projects and has set up the Shanghai Urban and Countryside Interactive Development Center.
Zhu Shengxuan. [Photo/China Daily]
Inputs from locals
Before creating the blueprint for his new village reform project in Jijiadun, Kunshan, Jiangsu province, Zhu talked to most of the 142 families in the area to find out what were the things they hoped to retain. This is because he believes it is imperative that, regardless of how beautiful the new architecture in the area is, traditions have to be kept alive.
Echoing his views is Xue Rongquan. The 75-year-old farmer wants to keep the old fishing boat that he had since he was 15.
The farmer also says: "When the reforms are completed next year, I'd like to come back and help build up a farming team to plant rice."
Zhu's efforts have not gone unnoticed by the authorities. After all, the Chinese government has in recent times been emphasizing on the need to fully utilize empty houses and vacant land to develop traditional handicrafts, agriculture and tourism. This year's No 1 Central Government Document, the first policy document jointly released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, again focuses on agriculture, rural community and farming-related issues.
Together with the local government in Jijiadun, Zhu will also be setting up a gallery comprising old items belonging to many of the old farmers, such as a century-old millstone and brick sculptures in the shape of tigers. One of the goals of this project is to draw more visitors from the cities to learn about the local culture and way of life.
"Young people from these rural areas don't necessarily need to migrate to big cities. With such reforms, land will be valuable and their lives can actually be more comfortable than in urban areas. In the near future, more and more people from the cities will also be willing to relocate to villages, be it to change their lifestyles or to run businesses," says Zhu.
