Guidelines for the industrial development of historic villages in China based on resource potential evaluation: 14 cases in the Guangzhou and Foshan Area, Guangdong Province

Abstract

ABSTRACT Villages around the world are gradually disappearing. Their cultural heritage needs to be not only protected but also transformed into an opportunity to develop historic villages. With the support of national policies, the conservation and development of historic villages have improved in China. In this study, a resource potential evaluation system and the associated criteria for the conservation of historic villages are established. Fourteen historic villages with different rates of development in the Guangzhou and Foshan Area, Guangdong province, China, are quantitatively evaluated, and the resource advantages and deficiencies of each village are analyzed. Furthermore, to identify a suitable development direction for historic villages, the various types of historic villages and their resource potentials are summarized, and corresponding development guidelines are posited.