The dragon dance in Xu village provides a grand spectacle. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Remote village

He recalls his first impression of Haotang, a remote village without traditional houses and ancient history: shock at the state of the river and its filthy roads.

"For three months my team and I cleaned up rubbish, and then the locals joined in with us," Sun says.

Next he came up with new designs for villagers' flats, something they resisted for a long time.

"People want to live in beautiful apartments like those in cities. Somehow they regard houses with ceramic-tiled walls as attractive," Sun says.

Hao Pengcheng's abode was one of the first transformed into a two-story courtyard house with red walls and grey-tiled tops. He had bought an apartment in the city of Xinyang, a drive of about two hours from the village, and ran a dry-cleaning business there.