Songyang County, China

CREDIT: WANG ZILING/COURTESY OF DNA

In China’s eastern Zhejiang province, rural Songyang County has quietly become an architecture lover’s dream. Since 2014, architect Xu Tiantian has been radically overhauling the region’s villages, bringing over a dozen serene, striking buildings that serve as both tourist draws and community hubs. Her work distills local tradition and culture, putting an artistic, visitor-friendly spin on seemingly workaday buildings like a brown sugar factory or a pedestrian bridge. Xu’s firm will unveil two new projects, a poetry museum and a maritime museum, in the region in early 2020. In the meantime, her “architectural acupuncture” strategy has brought a burst of energy to the area, increasing tourism 75-fold, according to China Daily, and paving the way for arrivals like the two-year-old destination bookstore Chenjiapu Librarie Avante Garde, Stray Bird hotel, and the 33-room Lanshu Mountain House, which opened in June. The rural revival has been so successful that Songyang recently hosted a UN forum to share its development approach with leaders from around the globe, and in November, Lishui implemented new regulations to ensure the preservation of traditional villages. With a new Lishui airport in the pipeline for 2021, this architectural wonderland is headed for even greater heights—plan your trip now to beat the (American) crowds. — Lila Harron Battis