Editor's note:

China, home to numerous traditional villages, has seen 900,000 of them disappear over the past decade. They may have been damaged by fire, deserted by residents who moved away or even demolished. Ancient villages are living fossils of local residents’ lives. Damage to them means great loss to culture, history and memory. 

Natural Damage

Data

The Baojing Dong village in Guizhou province on April 15, 2013 before a fire. More than 100 houses in the village were destroyed by fire on Jan 25, 2014.

Migration

Demolition

More than ten old houses with a history of over 100 years face demolition in Xinzheng city, Henan province.

327 traditional villages to receive financial support

According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, 327 traditional villages, including Liuliqu village in Beijing, are among the first batch in 2014 to receive financial support from the central government.

Ancient villages catalogued for better preservation

A study is underway in Wuyuan to better preserve the cultural roots of historical heritage. It is among the sites in the countrywide project, "Retain nostalgia - archive the ancient villages in China".

Big investment on Beijing's relics protection

Beijing will make the largest ever investment on cultural relics restoration and renovation this year, a local cultural heritage official said on February 23.