What changed
Yiqiuka Manor in Jiela village, Yushu City, Qinghai, has turned a thousand-year-old setting into a working village attraction. Opened in 2021, the Tibetan-style stone manor uses reclaimed wood and local stone, and has received more than 40,000 visitors while supporting employment for more than 210 villagers.
Why it matters
This is heritage preservation with muddy boots on. Visitors can ride horses, feed sheep, milk cows, learn weaving, try tsampa coffee and buy locally made metalwork, while villagers earn through lodging, food, crafts and guiding.
The model is deliberately close to the land. The manor sits beside the Yiqu River at about 3,800 metres, and villagers maintain the surrounding grassland and riverbanks themselves. The site’s traditional Tibetan knife-making and metalworking are not displayed as museum pieces; artisans turn those skills into tea containers, incense holders, jewellery boxes and other souvenirs.
The early results suggest that restoring old buildings can create work without sanding away the life around them. One villager moved from kitchen work to opening a restaurant. Another is trying livestream sales for local handicrafts. The figures are reported totals, not a full business audit, so the longer-term economics remain unclear. But the direction is visible: the village’s old stones are becoming part of its present livelihood.
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