Villages in Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are fully equipped with sprinklers for fire safety. [Photo by Wang Yifan / Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Ancient architecture, be it in China or abroad, will degrade if there is no one living in it, no one using it and no one maintaining it," said Zhang Zhili, a post doctorate at Tsinghua University who specializes in city and town planning. "To attract locals to keep using them, ancient architectures must fulfill the needs of a modern lifestyle."

Houses in Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, which were listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1995, are doing just that.

Most houses in Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are equipped with modern technology. Infrastructures such as heating and cooking facilities are modified to fit the needs of today's lifestyle, said Wang.

Moreover, villages in Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are fully equipped with sprinklers for fire safety. New buildings and facilities built for tourism development must also follow a set of regulations to avoid fire hazards caused by high density of buildings.