-- A recent visit by international influencers to Xikou village in Baizhang town, Hangzhou, offered more than a cultural experience — it opened a window into how a remote bamboo-covered village has reinvented itself through an emerging rural museum industry.
Content creators from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Nigeria, and Tunisia toured several of Xikou's distinctive museums, engaging with traditions such as the 24 solar terms, bamboo craftsmanship and hand-weaving. They witnessed how culture is fueling rural vitalization.
Their journey began at the Hangzhou Museum of Lunar Calendar, China's first rural museum dedicated to the Chinese calendar. After learning how ancient farmers read time from shadows and seasons, they crafted miniature sundials. "It's unbelievable that people could tell time just by observing the sun and stars," said Oluwabunmi Jimoh from Nigeria.
At the Onebamboo Museum, visitors found themselves surrounded by bamboo items ranging from household tools to creative installations. Under the guidance of local artisans, they tried weaving small bamboo decorations. "I've worked with wood before, but never with bamboo. It's amazing what you can make from it," said Luke Farrell from Ireland.
Their final stop, the Shuttle Museum, home to more than 23,000 shuttles collected across China, allowed them to weave handkerchiefs on traditional looms — a moment that illustrated the museum's motto: craftsmanship is a universal language.
Visitors were especially impressed by how these museums originally came to be. Most were once idle factories or abandoned houses. Today, Xikou has built a cluster of 10 rural museums — the most among Zhejiang's villages — earning it the title China's No 1 Village of Rural Museums. This transformation has not only revived local culture but generated new livelihoods. Museums now host workshops, cultural events and study tours, creating jobs for villagers who once depended on small bamboo-processing workshops.
International influencer Alexander Short from the UK noted, "Bringing so many museums together in one village boosts the local economy and the spirit of the community."
Xikou village's success reflects a broader shift in Zhejiang: turning cultural heritage into sustainable rural industries. By revitalizing old buildings, attracting cultural talent and engaging villagers in creative production, the village has built a model where museums, tourism, craftsmanship and daily life grow together.
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