CHANGSHA: Golden pomelos hanging from branches, a row of potted succulents and a slumbering orange cat all feature in a winter scene in the new home of Yin Ping and Yin Ling, as it defies the chill to present a vibrant courtyard.
This old house in Fangshiping village, central China’s Hunan Province, had long been in a state of disrepair until it was rented and renovated by the Yin sisters, who moved to the city of Huaihua when they were young but now enjoy spending time in a second dwelling in the countryside.
The village features more than 100 old houses built in the 1980s according to the local architectural style.
However, many of them have been empty for years after their owners bought new houses in cities or built modern brick ones, said Zhang Zhongyu, Party chief of the village.
“It would have been a pity to tear down the old houses, if we couldn’t find ways of reusing them,” Zhang said.
In 2019, the arrival of the Yin sisters brought new ideas. They represent a growing number of urban dwellers drawn by natural scenery, a caring community and the feeling of returning to one’s roots in the countryside. After boosting rural travel statistics, some of these nostalgic urbanites are now looking at renting village houses.
“We lived in the countryside when we were children, so we are particularly attached to such wooden houses. After working and living for years in the city, we wanted to rent a wooden house to spend more time in the countryside,” Yin Ping said. –Agencies
