Roots at the Village Edge: Xikou – The Eighth Village
乡里树脚-溪口八村
Rural Revitalisation Programme · Multi-Village Field Practice
Project Type
Rural Revitalisation Programme / Field Research & Community-Based Practice
Time & Location
2023
Xikou Village Cluster (The Eighth Village), Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
Organiser
Escape Art Club (EAC)
Role
Project Initiator · Programme Planner · Field Coordinator
Cai Boxuan (Boosen Tsai)
Background
Roots at the Village Edge: Xikou – The Eighth Village is a core project within the “Roots at the Village Edge (乡里树脚)” rural revitalisation series. Unlike single-site interventions, this project focused on a cluster of villages collectively referred to as “The Eighth Village”, highlighting how rural identity is often formed through networks rather than isolated settlements.
Situated at the margins of urban development, the Xikou villages reflect common contemporary rural conditions: population outflow, ageing communities, and gradual detachment between younger generations and village life. The project was conceived to explore how cultural engagement could re-activate relationships between people, place, and memory without imposing external narratives of “revitalisation.”
Description
The programme was developed through immersive fieldwork, collective walking, spatial observation, and participatory activities. Rather than introducing large-scale events, the project prioritised process-based engagement, allowing time for trust-building and mutual observation.
Activities included informal conversations with villagers, documentation of everyday environments, and small public gatherings designed to encourage shared presence rather than performance. By working across multiple villages, the project revealed subtle differences in spatial organisation, social rhythm, and collective memory—challenging the tendency to treat rural areas as culturally homogeneous.
The Eighth Village functioned both as a geographic reference and a conceptual position: a place slightly removed from official narratives, where lived experience quietly persists. Through this framing, the project examined how rural culture continues to exist through daily routines, interpersonal ties, and local knowledge.
Outcomes
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Conducted multi-site field research across the Xikou village cluster
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Engaged residents through dialogue-based and participatory activities
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Documented spatial, social, and cultural differences between villages
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Developed a flexible, low-intervention model for rural cultural engagement
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Contributed a key case study to the Roots at the Village Edge series
Significance
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Expanded rural revitalisation practice from single villages to village networks
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Emphasised relational and process-oriented approaches over event-based outcomes
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Challenged simplified narratives of rural decline or nostalgia
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Demonstrated how cultural work can operate through presence and listening
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Strengthened Escape Art Club’s long-term rural research methodology
Keywords
Rural Revitalisation · Field Research · Village Network · Community Engagement · Everyday Life · Participatory Practice · Cultural Observation