The vacant old stone buildings scattered on the hillside along the sea in Dashuwan village on Dongfushan Island. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsrbs]

Dashuwan village, which consists of old stone houses on Dongfushan Island in Putuo district, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, is under the protection of the provincial government, local media reported on Feb 13.

The stone houses in Dashuwan are scattered on a hillside along the sea, and most of them used to be vacant.

In recent years, Putuo district has been exploring the history and cultural resources in Dashuwan and restored the old stone houses in the village to their former glory.

The district spent 16.63 million yuan ($2.61 million) to purchase 78 old stone buildings, 39 of which have been fully restored, according to a person in charge of the project.

He added that a fishing village cultural landscape will be established in Dashuwan village in the future.

The protection of villages on Dongfushan Island has been approved by the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs.

Putuo district plans to invite companies to manage the restored stone houses in an effort to develop local recreation industry.