A Comparative Analysis of Preservation and Revitalization Policies for Traditional Villages in China and Italy

China and Italy, both ancient civilizations, have numerous traditional villages that bear witness to history and support the transmission of cultural heritage. However, these villages face challenges such as homogenized development, population outflow, and disruptions in cultural continuity. While both Chinese and Italian traditional villages have received considerable scholarly attention, their comparative study remains relatively limited, leaving the transferability of respective solutions across different legal, heritage and planning contexts to be fully explored. This study aims to adapt and transfer Italy’s contiguous protection, integrated operation, national park designation, and community partnership policies to China in order to establish a comprehensive mechanism for preservation and revitalization of traditional villages. A cross-case study of Cinque Terre (Italy) and Jiande (China), incorporating on-site mapping, governance analysis, and interviews, reveals that Italy’s integrated community-based approach markedly outperforms China’s fragmented state-led model in sustaining population, culture and tourism quality. These findings provide a globally replicable paradigm for traditional village preservation.