The project is guided by the core principle of “holistic conservation and organic renewal,” aiming to create a sustainable humanistic eco-district that balances historical continuity with contemporary vitality. With full respect for the original urban fabric and cultural context, refined renewal strategies are employed to achieve a systematic restoration of the old town’s spatial structure, functions, and collective memory.

In terms of spatial organization, the proposal establishes a tiered control framework based on a “streets + clustered enclaves” structure. Renewal interventions are implemented across three levels—original-condition preservation, key building restoration, and organic residential upgrading—allowing for the precise recovery of the district’s urban texture and spatial scale. Functionally, the main street serves as the primary development axis, along which clusters such as the Salt Transport Culture Plaza, folk craft workshops, and boutique inns are arranged, reconstructing a traditional lifestyle and commercial model rooted in local characteristics. At the same time, a cultural translation system titled the “Ten Scenes of Salt Transport” is introduced. By reconstructing landmark nodes such as the Guanyin Temple and Chuanzu Temple, salt transport culture is embedded into contemporary public spaces in a perceptible and experiential manner.

At the architectural level, the design continues the regional construction language characterized by timber post-and-beam structures, layered grey-tiled roofs, and whitewashed walls. Historic materials, including old stone elements and carved wooden components, are carefully catalogued, repositioned, and reused to ensure the living inheritance of traditional craftsmanship. Overall, while significantly improving residential safety and environmental quality in former shantytown areas, the project preserves the cultural roots of Chishui accumulated over two millennia. Through the creation of the “No.1 Salt Transport Street of China,” it achieves a synergistic balance between social benefits and economic value, re-stitching fragmented historical traces back into the mountain–water urban fabric through contemporary design interventions.