Maona Village Renewal Project

At the foot of the Wuzhi Mountain tropical rainforest in Hainan Province, Maona Village carries the memory of a centuries-old Li ethnic settlement. Yet, before its renewal, much of that identity had begun to fade. Traditional Li dwellings were disappearing, replaced by fragmented modern structures, while the village itself faced severe hollowing out. The renewal project responds to this condition not by recreating a historic image, but by rebuilding the village through its existing cultural, ecological and social resources. Designed by Yehao Song, Xiaojuan Chen and Dan Xie, the project was guided by three principal objectives: renovating more than 40 residential buildings, introducing public facilities that could support both community life and tourism, and restoring the landscape while establishing an integrated tea-tourism economy. With limited budgets and a demanding construction schedule, the design team adopted a low-cost and locally rooted approach. Red earth, raw bamboo and thatch become contemporary architectural materials, while the traditional Li principle of “bamboo frames and mud walls” is reinterpreted through modern construction rather than decorative imitation. The village community centre forms the centrepiece of this transformation. Spanning approximately 1,900 square metres, the semi-open structure uses more than 30,000 raw bamboo poles, creating a generous communal space while demonstrating the potential of a readily available local material. Rather than replacing existing houses, the residential intervention focuses primarily on economical façade improvements, creating greater visual coherence while retaining the village’s established fabric. Perhaps most significantly, the renewal process extends beyond architecture. Villagers participated directly in construction and maintenance, helping revive traditional bamboo-building knowledge while creating local employment. Lightweight bamboo and timber construction reduce ecological disturbance, complemented by passive strategies such as daylighting and natural ventilation.