A view of Tukou village in Daishan county in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsqdxq]

Eight villages in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province have been included in a provincial program aimed at building "future villages", according to an announcement by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Dec 21. 

Two hundred and thirty-nine villages in the province made the list. 

Future villages – new innovative residential clusters that feature an eco-friendly and digitalized rural lifestyle – are considered a key element in Zhoushan's common prosperity drive. 

The eight villages are Dinghai district's Xinjian and Miaoqiao villages, Putuo district's Huangyangjian village and Dongji Island, Daishan county's Tukou and Wojingtan villages as well as Shengsi county's Qiguan and Tian'ao villages. 

Xinjian village, which has invested 41.9 million yuan ($6.01 million) into building 12 projects, including a parent-child amusement park and a net zero carbon exhibition hall, has in recent years been channeling more resources towards improving the health of residents and the living environment. 

Miaoqiao village, which features unique cultural resources like the ancestral residence of Sanmao, has spent 24.58 million yuan on building 14 cultural and tourism projects including a Sanmao-themed bookstore and a cultural auditorium. 

Sanmao was the pen name of the late Echo Chan, a Chinese contemporary novelist, writer and translator from Taiwan. She was best known for her book Stories of the Sahara. 

The other six villages have also been making efforts to protect the ecological environment and intangible cultural heritages as well as use digital technologies to improve rural governance.

A bird's eye view of Qiguan village in Shengsi county in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsqdxq]

A bird's eye view of Tian'ao village in Shengsi county in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsqdxq]