Author says traditional culture offers way to deal with modern life

"The first season in 2015 got 2 billion views, both at home and abroad. And if other platforms are included, the series has got more than 10 billion views," says Guo, adding that the series resonates very well with overseas Chinese.

Each episode features an ancient village－its traditions, history, stories and beliefs that date back hundreds of years.

"There are about 600,000 villages in total, about 1,560 of which are designated as traditional ones," he says.

"In some of these villages, the example of one man or his family keeps the villagers going."

He gives the example of Futian village in Jiangxi province, where 102-year-old Red Army soldier Wang Chengdeng lives. The soldier, who fought in the famous Pingxingguan Battle in 1937, has donated his army uniform to the village.

Referring to Futian's patriotic spirit, Guo says the signature patriotic poem, Song of Righteousness (Zheng Qi Ge), by fellow villager, Song Dynasty general Wen Tianxiang (1236-1283), is still taught as a nursery rhyme there.

In a village in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, a self-service market has been running for more than a century.

"No one overcharges and no one takes vegetables without paying," Guo says.

He adds that, when the project started, some questioned its relevance, but now traditional culture is seen as trendy.