A dragon-shaped swing in Xiamutang village, Jiangxi Province Photo: Courtesy of UED magazine

Xiamutang, a village in East China's Jiangxi Province, has been transformed into a cultural hub through a rural renovation project titled Village Vision.

The new village opened to the public on September 30 with new architectural designs, art installations and playground facilities for children.

Launched by China Building Center and UED magazine, the Village Vision project aims to innovate traditional villages using their unique cultural characteristics. Liu Qing, UED's executive editor-in-chief, told the Global Times on October 1 that the project is an experiment to see how rural villages can be developed in the future.

"We hope to accomplish rural revitalization through design, culture and art," she said.

According to Liu, Xiamutang now boasts a library of hand-painted books for children, an exhibition space, a summer design camp, as well as a studio for traditional hand-made paper crafts.

Chinese designer Xie Xiaoying converted a pool in the village center into a waterside open-air theater where villagers can find rest and entertain. 

Works by students at Chinese and overseas universities are currently on display around the village, including Bamboo Suspenders from Hunan University, Plum Blossom-fun from the Central Academy of Fine Arts as well as Fairyland from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.