As the lengthy below suggests,
‘open-air museums’ come in various forms in China.
(Hot-links will be added to this
list in the future)
In addition to sites where all of
the structures have been preserved by moving them to a single new location or
where all the buildings are reconstructed structures in a park-like setting—as exist
in abundance also in the US, Japan, and Europe—there are now many ‘olde’
villages and towns—many of them quite spectacular—that have been tidied up
(sometimes with foreign funds) and clearly demarcated as ‘open-air museums’.
Within most of these villages and towns, a great deal of conservation work is
being carried out. In some respects, they have become ‘living villages’ or
‘living towns’ in which visitors can experience ‘authentic’ life from the past.
Those listed below are all places that today charge admission to outsiders,
with significant areas given over to open-air presentations of old
buildings/lanes/activities/entertainment, etc. Most have their own websites and
countless books have appeared that appeal to Chinese tourists who are looking for
‘the authentic past’.
Throughout China now
there are also theme parks that emphasize the buildings and cultures found
elsewhere in the world, such as Window of the World (Shijie zhi chuang)
in Shenzhen as well as American Dream Park and Global Paradise outside
Shanghai. Some 2000 ‘theme parks’ have opened in China in the past decade! I have
not listed any of this last group.
Domestic
tourism, which is booming in China, is fueling most of these developments.
Open-air Village-like Museums (structures moved from other
places)
Huizhou District,
Huangshan City, Anhui:
Qiankou Folk House Museum
Xiuning County, Anhui:
Guchengyan “Old City Ridge” (two sections showing Ming & Qing structures)
Open-air Village-like Museums (structures are mostly
reconstructions):
Shenzhen,
Guangdong:
China Folk Cultural Village (Zhongguo Minsu Wenhua Cun)
(24 ‘village’ sections that emphasize minority nationalities)
Splendid China (Zhenxiu Zhonghua) (84 replicas of buildings and sites throughout
China)
Beijing municipality:
China Ethnic Cultural Park (Zhonghua minzu yuan)
Grand View Garden
(Daguanyuan)
(replica of the magnificent garden and buildings of an imperial family described in the well-known Chinese novel "A Dream of Red Mansions")
Hainan province:
Village of Li Minority
in the Ethnic Museum of Hainan
Kunming, Yunnan: Yunnan Ethnic Villages (covers 26 different minority groups)
Open-air Museums in Villages and Towns (structures are
original)
Anhui province:
Hongcun Village
Nanping Village
Tangmo Village
Xidi Village
Beijing
municipality:
Chuandixia Mountain Village
Chongqing
municipality:
Ciqikou
Village
Fujian province:
Gulangyu Island Town, Xiamen
Hekeng Village
Peitian Village
Xiamei Village
Zhaojiabao Village
Gansu province:
Xiahe Monastery Town
Guangxi province:
Baimian
Yao Village
Kaili Miao Village Open-air Museum
Yinshui
Dong Village
Guizhou
province:
Huashishao Bouyei Village
Heitu and Changlinggang Miao Villages
Langde Miao Open-air Village
Hainan province:
Fankong and Fanmao Miao Villages
Tushuihe Miao Ethnic Village
Henan province:
Kangbaiwan Manor
Hong Kong:
Pingshan Village Heritage Trail
Jiangsu province:
Mudu Old Town
Tongli Old Town
Xitang Old Town
Zhouzhuang Old Town
Jiangxi province:
Likeng
Village
Lukeng
Village
Qingyuan
Village
Sixi
Village
Xiaoqi
Village
Yantian
Village
Zhifeng
Village
Shandong province:
Mu Family Manor
Qufu Mansion of
Confucius
Shanxi province:
Cao Family Manor
Chang Family Manor
Chen Family Manor
Dingcun Historic Village
Pingyao Ancient Town
Qiao Family Manor
Qu Family Manor
Wang Family Manor
Yunnan province:
Bai Ethnic Villages
Blang Ethnic Minority Park
Dali Old Town
Jianshui Old Town
Lijiang Old Town
Tengchong Old Town
Xishuangbanna Dai Ethnic Villages
Zhejiang province:
Cangpo Village
Furong Village
Nanxun Old Town
Wuzhen Old Town
Zhuge Village