Government-supported,Privately-run:A Yongtai Model For The Protection Of Ancient Buildings

Ancient mansions are not only precious tangible cultural heritage,but also public space entities for people’s daily interactions.As the population moves out and the old houses decline,the traditional public space is gradually declining.Most of the architectural heritage in urban areas attracts people’s attention,but it is difficult to restore the old houses hidden in the mountains and old forests due to natural or human factors.Yongtai Zhuangzhai in Fujian Province is a large residential area with both defensive and residential functions,which is different from the Fujian Earth Fort and Fujian Earth Tower,and has been restored with the cooperation of the local government and villagers.The surrounding environment and villages,and even the county town,have become very popular as a result.The rejuvenation of Yongtai Zhuangzhai has led to the revitalization of the countryside,which is an example of the point-led measures in the rural revitalization strategy.It can provide useful reference for the implementation of rural revitalization strategy by exploring the model of mutual assistance between government and villagers.In this paper,the research data were collected through participatory observation and interview methods,and the socio-spatial theory was used to summarize the experience of Zhuangzhai restoration and revitalization.Firstly,this paper summarizes the experiences in the conservation of rural public space,old mansions,"government-assisted,privately-run" and related studies on Yongtai Zhuangzhai,and finds that there are still some gaps to be filled in the current studies.Afterwards,interviews and site visits were used to discover and summarize the cooperation between the Village Security Office and the Council to promote the restoration and revitalization of Yongtai Villages,thus driving rural revitalization.It was found that the premise of the "government-assisted,privately-run" model is that both the local government and the public have the goal of restoring the Zhuangzhai,and the villagers need to take the lead to actively promote the work.The specific measures of the "government-assisted,privately-run" model of restoration of Yongtai Zhuangzhai are the establishment of a specialized institution for the restoration of Zhuangzhai,and the allocation of special funds to provide financial support and attract investment to promote the protection of Zhuangzhai.After summarizing the experience of other places in architectural conservation and rural revitalization,the Village Security Office proposed "four thresholds," "four non-principles," and "five adherence" policy measures to stimulate the vitality of the private sector.This is to achieve the full utilization of funds and the revitalization and inheritance of the Zhuangzhai culture.The people responded to the government’s call to establish the Zhuangzhai Protection and Development Council,and actively called on their grandchildren to participate in the restoration and revitalization of Zhuangzhai.At the same time,the Council is also responsible for raising funds,implementing maintenance,management and maintenance,business development,etc.under the encouragement of the Village Security Office,injecting a constant vitality into the Zhuangzhai,which has been dormant for decades.Sanjie Village and Yangwei Village are also known for their "Zhuangzhai business card",which has made their tourism brand known and promoted the construction of beautiful villages.It has been proven that the protection of Zhuangzhai is also conducive to the realization of rural revitalization.In this paper,we believe that the success of the protection of Yongtai Zhuangzhai mainly lies in the fact that the Yongtai County Party Committee and the county government pay attention to the cooperation with the villagers,and give full play to the advantages of the cooperation between the private sector and the government,which stimulates the internal life force of the private sector,gathers the rural resources,and opens up a new cooperation mode of "government-aided and privately-run" in the restoration of Zhuangzhai.The revival of Yongtai Zhuangzhai promotes the development of new industries in the countryside,the protection of the rural environment creates a more refreshing and livable environment,and the historical and cultural connotation of Zhuangzhai creates a civilized rural culture,all of which reflect the effectiveness of the "government-aided,privately-run" model of governance.