The stone house in Moshizui village on Tuoji Island. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A media group marveled at stone houses in Moshizui village on Tuoji Island in Changdao county on Sept 19, during a media trip to Yantai, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province.

Moshizui village is named for its abundance of grindstones. There is an ancient stone alley in the village. The stone walls are warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

The whole alley is paved with local colorful rocks. Both sides of the alley are stone walls which are uniquely crafted. Re-developing these stone alleys to their former glories has become a cornerstone of rural revitalization in Tuoji town.

In the past two years, the town has taken advantage of the idle resources that the now mostly unused fishing villages have left behind and provided tourists with homestay accommodation where they can gain an authentic experience of daily life on the island.

It has actively invited investment and made full use of existing resources such as streets, houses, courtyards, fishing gear and old furniture, to build a block-type high-end residential area according to the principle of "repairing the old as old" and "embodying the village memory".

At present, it has invested more than 5 million yuan ($742,000) and operated more than ten high-end homestay house.

A corner if the stone house in Moshizui village on Tuoji Island. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]   

In terms of cultural protection, Tuoji town has taken various measures to protect precious cultural monuments, so future generations can go on to enjoy them Haihui Temple is an ancient temple built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that was later expanded in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

It is located in the southern part of Jingkou village on Tuoji Island and bordered by Bawang Mountain in the north. There are hills and arches to its east and west, and the sea to its south.

The temple is a combination of Buddha and Taoism. There are two ginkgo trees with a history of 1200 years, which are regarded by fishermen on the island as the "sacred tree" to pray for peace and safety.

For a long time, the temple has been deeply respected by the islanders because of its superior geographical position. It was listed as a provincial cultural relics protection unit by the Shandong provincial government in October 2013.

In addition, Changdao Yuhao (work songs sung by fishermen), with a history of more than 380 years, originated from Tuoji Island. In the past, Changdao Yuhao was used to motivate fishermen and increase sea production throughout the Bohai Sea and the North Yellow Sea coast. 

The bedroom of stone house in Moshizui village on Tuoji Island. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]