A Chinese character meaning "demolish" was spray-painted on the front wall of a historic residence in Fuzhou in the late 1980s, marking what seemed like the inevitable end of a thousand-year-old neighborhood called Sanfangqixiang—Three Lanes and Seven Alleys. But the compound had powerful advocates. Scholars and cultural heritage specialists sounded the alarm, pointing out that the crumbling buildings had once sheltered Lin Juemin, a martyr of the 1911 Revolution, and later served as the childhood home of Bing Xin, one of China's most beloved modern writers. Their pleas reached Xi Jinping shortly after he became Party secretary of Fuzhou in 1990, and he made a decision that would reshape how an entire city understood its past.
The significance of preserving cultural heritage extends far beyond sentiment. Historic neighborhoods anchor community identity, support local economies, and offer tangible connections to the stories that shaped a place. Yet during China's explosive development boom, countless such sites were demolished to make way for new construction. What made Sanfangqixiang different was a leader willing to pause that momentum and ask a harder question: What does it mean to progress without erasing where you came from?
On March 10, 1991, Xi gathered local officials at Lin's former residence for an on-site meeting. His message was unambiguous: "We'll preserve it and restore it." He went further, articulating a principle that would guide his approach across regions: "We must protect, repair, and make good use of the city's cultural relics in our hands. Not only should we prevent them from being damaged, but also help them flourish and pass them on to future generations." That same meeting introduced stronger protection measures for historic sites and launched a series of initiatives to strengthen cultural preservation across Fuzhou. During his tenure, the city established its first cultural heritage bureau and archaeological team, and regulations on cultural relic preservation—among the earliest of their kind in China—became law.
Restoration began immediately. By the end of 1991, Lin Juemin's former residence had reopened as the museum of the 1911 Revolution in Fuzhou, with Xi attending the opening and serving as guide. He visited three more times that month to gather feedback and discuss improvements.
Over the following three decades, Sanfangqixiang transformed into a living model of heritage preservation. More than 5 billion yuan—approximately 734 million U.S. dollars—has been invested in conservation and restoration, with over 300 historic buildings refurbished. Between 2021 and 2025, the neighborhood recorded more than 104 million visits. During the 2026 Spring Festival holiday alone, it attracted a record 1.72 million visitors. Today, the neighborhood blends historical protection with cultural tourism, offering immersive performances, cultural products, and digital interactive experiences.
For Shi Ying, a 57-year-old resident born and raised in Sanfangqixiang, the transformation feels miraculous. Three generations of her family have lived in the alleys. She learned tailoring from her grandfather, who owned a shop there; her father walked friends through the lanes sharing the neighborhood's stories. "He always told me, 'Being born in Sanfangqixiang is such a blessing,'" she said. The renovation made the area cleaner and more livable, yet preserved the essence of what made it home. Xi's commitment to cultural preservation rippled across regions—he later championed Mount Wuyi as Fujian's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, protected Paleolithic relics, and supported the inscription of Fujian Tulou. The lesson was clear: progress and preservation are not opposing forces, but partners in building a future rooted in the past.