One change is the improvement in hygiene, including teaching villagers to brush their teeth. In the beginning, few brushed their teeth - some just wiped them with towels. The toothbrushes we used before were made of pig bristles, and we used toothpowder rather than toothpaste.

The old houses were vulnerable to pests because they were made of wood and the weather was humid. Village officials inspected the hygiene standards of every house and pasted signs on the doors saying 'cleanest', 'clean' or 'dirty'. Families with a 'dirty' sign lost face and this had the effect of making the village even cleaner than it was before.

How did the Great Leap Forward affect the village?

Our village was the same as any other. For a couple of months, nobody farmed the fields and everyone had to make steel. At that time, I was a primary school pupil but we had no class - we just collected ore. We worked all day and all night. We had to delay the rice harvest until early winter, and even then there wasn't enough labour because everybody was making steel.

Another problem was bragging. People said one mu of land (about 0.67 hectares) could produce 5,000kg of rice, but in reality it was good if it could yield 500kg. The lies eroded the village atmosphere of honesty and diligence, and scarred the village's traditional culture.

How did the village's traditional architecture survive the Cultural Revolution?

The Cultural Revolution aimed to destroy the image of federal emperors and generals. About 10 out of 130 old houses were damaged to different extents. Luckily, we still have Chengzhi Hall. Several villagers heard the Red Guards had destroyed wooden sculptures in other places so they covered the sculpture with mud and pasted revolutionary slogans on the beam underneath it. When the Red Guards came, they were speechless when they saw the village's revolutionary atmosphere.

How did reform and the opening-up policy change the village?

Since 1981, villagers have been leased land and labour has been more flexible. Villagers were very positive about the policy until the mid-1980s, when people began to leave the village and work in other regions such as Guangdong and Zhejiang for higher wages. People have more choices and they don't have to be tied to their land. I started a cooking-oil plant.

How did tourism change people's lives?

In 1998, a company was put in charge of developing tourism in Hongcun. About 2,000 people visit the village each day, and during 'golden week' in May and October, up to 6,000 tourists a day come here. Last year, each villager was paid 700 yuan in a tourism dividend put aside by the company. Our average income has increased from 2,000 yuan a year to 5,000 yuan, some coming from tourism. We spend only three or four months farming. The rest of the time we put into small businesses, including accommodation for travellers. Tourism has improved our lives.

Is there a downside to tourism?

Preservation should be the first goal; tourism second. Old houses need repairs and people don't like to live in them because they are dark, humid and don't have toilets. Old houses and trees and the water system should be preserved. Tourism companies, local governments and villagers should all be responsible.