An international summit about traditional villages was held in China on Nov. 22. Experts who attended the summit discussed better ways of protecting traditional Chinese villages, which many worry are losing their vitality and original characteristics.

About 2,555 villages were included on a list for national protection. However, so far, protection efforts haven't slowed the pace of extinction of traditional villages. The biggest problems facing these holdovers are a decrease in residents and an increase in tourism.

Many village leaders are taking advantage of protection measures, but oftentimes these measures do little to preserve a village's original charm, noted Feng Jicai, the deputy chairman of China Federation of Literary and Artistic Circles and professor at Tianjin University. Another problem is that residents haven’t come up a comprehensive method to protect their own homes, Feng added.

Feng also listed the top 10 similarities among all original villages under official protection, including their drive for tourism, the flight of original residents, the desire to attract businesses, the provision of so-called intangible cultural heritage shows and more. He called on people to preserve the true cultural value of villages, which Feng believes does not preclude quality tourism. However, historical and research value should always come first, he emphasized.