Saving Huizhou's glorious past
Few places in China preserved the rural essence as well as the small towns in Huizhou region, in the southern part of Anhui province. The rich merchants of the area developed their villages for centuries and built up vast mansions to live, all of them richly decorated with handcrafted wood panels in their majestic ancestral halls. Even though, due to the tumultuous history of China during last century and the economic development of coastal region, Huizhou's cultural heritage started to vanish and many of the grand mansions remain abandoned.
Now, several intellectuals and artists are trying to revitalize the area through the Bishan Commune, a project that wants to bring back the old charm to Huizhou and fight for the preservation of its local culture. Ou Ning and Zuo Jing, the two creative minds behind the initiative, have already started the Bishan Harvestival, a cultural festival in Bishan Village. One of the first results can already be seen in the place: Qian Xiaohua, the owner of several independent bookshops, decided to reconvert one of the ancestral halls into one of his stores.