Longtan Old Village 龙潭古村

About Longtan Old Village

A stream runs the length of the village and the old houses stand between the hillside and the water. By the time Longtan began its cultural and creative programme in 2017 only about a hundred residents were left, the houses were falling down and the ground was overgrown. Pingnan county, once one of 23 counties the province designated as poverty-alleviation priorities, has since been named a national demonstration county for cultural and creative industry in traditional villages.

The mechanism is specific. The village committee stands between owner and tenant, taking old houses from villagers and leasing them on, so that the two sides never deal with each other directly. A house is taken on a fifteen-year lease at three yuan per square metre a year; the tenant pays for the repairs and the house returns to its owner at the end of the term. Repair work uses what is called the materials-and-labour method, in which the village organisation buys the materials, hires the craftsmen and puts together local restoration teams, with a three-member village inspection group watching the work throughout. The rule for the buildings is one house, one character: the rammed-earth walls, dark tiles and timber frames are kept on the outside while interiors are adapted for modern use, and more than 300 old houses have now been repaired across the county. Longtan's resident population has since passed a thousand, and the restored houses hold guesthouses, cafes, a music hall and art galleries, among them the 47 Trees art museum.

What to look for

• The stream that runs the length of the village, with old houses ranged between hillside and water
• Repaired houses that keep their rammed-earth walls, dark tiles and timber frames while being adapted inside
• The 47 Trees art museum, one of the galleries occupying a restored old house
• The village's music hall and cafes, also set in repaired old buildings
• The evidence of the repair programme itself, carried out by local craftsmen under the village-run materials-and-labour method

Location & getting there

Getting to Longtan Old Village

Identify the main visitor approach and any separately managed houses, museums or performances. Ask before entering residential spaces or photographing residents.

• Search for 龙潭古村 with 宁德市 and 屏南县.