While I am a huge fan of travelling off the well-beaten guidebook path, it should be mentioned that by making this information readily available and encouraging people to travel to these remote villages, these places will inevitably change. It's just like the Heisenberg principle, which is that the simple act of looking at something changes it.

exhibit A: LiGe Village, Lugu Lake, Sichuan Province, China
This tiny village was once made up of traditional style houses, the people self-sufficient from farming, but the whole village was levelled in October 2005 to make way for hotel construction, leaving the people living in poor conditions.
photo, taken in March 2006: http://annepercoco.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/2/13?xurl=%2Fphotos%2Fphoto%2F2%2F13
Exhibit B: In contrast, the village of DaZui on the same lake was still intact when I visited, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's in a similar state now that LiGe was in then.
photo of DaZui:http://annepercoco.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/1/39?xurl=%2Fphotos%2Fphoto%2F1%2F39

So I want to encourage responsible, respectful tourism and, if possible, start a discussion on what this means. Does anyone have any specific ideas on this?