Chen Keshi

Chen Keshi: Sixteen Years of Shuimo, Wenchuan

2026-07-14

In 2008, when Chen Keshi positioned Shuimo Town as "An Ecological New Town of Wenchuan, a Famous Qiang Cultural Town", many outsiders voiced doubts: Could a small town once reliant on high-energy-consuming industries sustain itself through tourism?

Sixteen years on, statistics have delivered the answer.

In the first half of 2023 alone, Shuimo Town received around 250,000 tourists, generating approximately 125 million yuan in tourism revenue. During the seven-day 2024 Spring Festival holiday, it welcomed 264,000 visitors, with its annual tourist volume exceeding 500,000 for the whole year. On a broader economic scale, the per capita disposable income of rural residents surged from 1,500 yuan in 2008 to 20,280 yuan in 2021, marking a more than 13-fold increase.

The visions drafted on planning blueprints have translated into tangible economic returns.

Yet this sixteen-year achievement amounts to far more than a mere scorecard. Empirical data from the past three years also bears witness to a clear truth: the town’s original development positioning continues to yield lasting dividends.

The next step is to build upon this foundation and add a new developmental dimension. For urban planners, the core task of the next phase lies in erecting a digital framework across the old streets and embedding immersive cultural experiences within the Qiang ethnic townscape. On the existing foundation of "ecology plus culture", the town will foster new growth driven by "technology integrated with cultural tourism".

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Led by Professor Chen Keshi, the China Urban Planning & Design Institute (Zhongying Urban) team has delved into plateau regions for years. Rooted in field investigations across Sichuan and Xizang, the team has established a comprehensive technical system for the conservation and practical construction of Tibetan architecture. It provides cultural foundations and professional support for ethnic village style control and cultural tourism development in Tibetan areas, accumulating representative practical experience in the research, revitalization and adaptive reuse of traditional Tibetan architecture nationwide.

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Chen Keshi: Sixteen Years of Shuimo, Wenchuan

2026-07-14

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