Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

Signing ceremony of the contract to renovating Cuiwei Village of Xiangzhou is held on Aug 8.

Seven hundred-year-old Cuiwei Village is the latest recipient of infrastructure improvements and cityscape enhancements in Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai. The project will be developed by China Aoyuan Property Group, according to an Aug 8 agreement.

Cuiwei, one of Zhuhai's largest and oldest villages, is known for its commitment to education, which has generated outstanding talents over the years. Big names include Wei Rucong (1878-1944), the first Chinese student to study in Japan, and Wei Zhuomin (1888-1976), a famous educator and philosopher.

It was also nicknamed Small Macao due to once-flourishing modern business activities.

The village, however, failed to keep with changes, and has been on the decline. Substandard houses and dirty environment mean it sits incongruously among modern skyscrapers.

A brightly-lit village design [Photos by Zhang Weining / Zhuhai Daily]

But there are still more than 30,000 people living in the village. The government wants to provide them with an ideal living environment.

The planned area for the improvements is 477.9 mu (30 hectares) and the total investment amounts to 12.1 billion yuan ($1.9 billion).

High-standard apartments, primary schools, kindergartens, bus stops, and activity centers will be added to modernize the lives of the villagers. Modernization however is not the only goal; according to a project head, 16,000 sq m of historic relics will be carefully protected.

The Cuiwei Village work is part of Zhuhai's program of citywide upgrades to optimize its layout and promote its image.

Cuiwei Village is surrounded by high-rise buildings serving the busy urban area. [Photos by Zhong Fan / Zhuhai Daily]