Sijia village, Sijia town, Haimen [Photo/WeChat account: jshmrb]

Sijia village and Yisheng village in Haimen, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, were recently ranked as ancient villages under provincial protection by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

They were among seven villages in Nantong to be included on the list.

According to authorities, "ancient villages" are villages abundant in cultural and natural resources that have historical, cultural, scientific, artistic, economic, or social value.

Sijia village is located in Sijiatown, which has a history of more than 1,500 years.

Yisheng village was home to Zhang Jian, a famous Chinese educator and businessman of modern China. The village is home to the Zhang Jian Cultural Tourist Site, a national 4A-level scenic spot, and Yisheng Brewery, which was founded by Zhang Jian in 1894.

Yisheng village in Changle town [Photo/WeChat account: jshmrb]

A series of measures to protect ancient villages took effect on Dec 1, 2017 in Jiangsu province. The measures required governments at county level and above to include the protection and development of ancient villages in local development plans.

The measures required that efforts be made to improve local infrastructure, public services, and the living environment while also ensuring all relics are well preserved.

Local governments are also encouraged to develop tourism and traditional handicrafts industries in an appropriate manner, in a bid to boost local economic development.