Summit explores ways to preserve traditional villages

Young villagers sing at a welcome ceremony for visitors in Dali village, Qiandongnan, Guizhou province. ZHANG JIHUI/CHINA DAILY

There are five drum towers in the village, which has around 1,600 inhabitants.

He says: "The lifestyle here has not changed much over the years. People here are attached to their hometown and don't want houses elsewhere. Very few people go to big cities looking for work."

Nevertheless, the reasons for maintaining the status quo do not sound too convincing.

"The transport system is not convenient," Lu says.

"And we want to have safer and warmer brick houses when we renovate, but the reason we stick to using traditional methods to build houses is mainly because wooden ones are much cheaper."

A local's average annual income is less than 10,000 yuan ($1,570), and most of it still comes from farming.

So, what will happen when the locals get richer after their village is opened up for development?

Since 2013, 2,555 villages around the country have been designated as "traditional Chinese villages".