How did we revive a community

Cyrus was trained as an architect, yet when he first set foot in a village just outside of Guangzhou, he didn’t rush to build. In the talk, he showed us how he and his team turned an old village into (almost) an attraction while giving the locals confidence and dignity.

Graduated from the School of Architecture, Wuyi University, Cyrus Li enjoys rushing about in the field wearing boots and a straw hat tied around his neck. He looks like a real peasant, which doesn’t quite match his job as an architect. As a key member of the "Cangdong Project" in college, he participated in the Kaiping Rural Heritage Conservation Project to help villagers repair and preserve the Diaolou and villages. After graduation, he dedicated himself to working in rural areas. As a co-founder, he transformed a closed mechanical factory into an international youth hostel—Tangkou International Youth Space (also known as Tangkou Space)—in the old market area of Tangkou, Kaiping. “Tangkou Space” is not only a hostel, but also an important public place that activates local communities, connects locals with outsiders, and promotes local cultural brands to an international audience.