Over the past 40 years, cities in China have undergone rapid urbanization and industrialization, while rural areas are increasingly falling into decline due to the lack of economic development, with problems such as hollowed-out villages, aging populations, and weak material foundations more and more serious. Compared to cities, rural areas constitute a more complex ecosystem, and at this time, architects should not just be passive, single-faceted, one-way problem solvers, but rather proactive, composite, and multi-directional organizers and guides—stepping outside the scope of architectural design to combine it with specific social contexts and policies, integrate upstream and downstream resources, and establish a complete project operation process from planning and strategy to construction, operation, and dissemination. “Fuse New into Past: Empowerment and Regeneration of Rural Life” sorts through multiple architectural cases, summarizing the observations, reflections, and coping strategies of Architect Meng Fanhao in his rural practices across multiple provinces and cities in China in recent years, and interpreting how to promote paradigmatic innovation in rural regeneration through design, thereby empowering the vision of building beautiful Chinese villages.
