Old homes regain lost shine in Fuzhou's Sanfangqixiang

Visitors stroll around Sanfangqixiang in Fuzhou, Fujian province. [Photo/CHINA NEWS SERVICE]

In the center of the bustling city of Fuzhou in Fujian province, a man in his 70s is carefully overseeing the restoration of a centuries-old neighborhood rich in traditional features.

The neighborhood is known as Sanfangqixiang, or the "Three Lanes and Seven Alleys", a 40-hectare complex famous for its traditional urban fabric of lanes and alleys. The green slate walkways are lined with ancestral houses, featuring white walls and black tiles.

Initially built in the Jin Dynasty （265-420）， the neighborhood developed during the Tang Dynasty （618-907） and the Five Dynasties （907-960）， and then thrived during the Ming （1368-1644） and Qing （1644-1911） dynasties. Dubbed a museum of Ming and Qing dynasty architecture, the neighborhood boasts more than 200 ancient buildings.

Chen Mulin, an expert in ancient Chinese architecture, has been helping restore these structures as part of the city's efforts to address deterioration from erosion and human use, as well as from the presence of squatter settlements.

Among the first to be restored was a waterside pavilion stage. With local talent thin on the ground, Chen, then head of a cultural relics station in the city of Sanming, around 230 kilometers west of Fuzhou, was called in to provide technical assistance.

The place where the stage was located had been converted into a zipper factory, he recalled. The courtyard had been raised to facilitate the delivery of freight, while pillars inside the building had been removed to expand the production space. It was hardly recognizable as a stage.

Chen asked workers to restore the original structure and features of the waterside pavilion, using the same materials and techniques with which it was built.

On one occasion, while searching for an example of a broken component, he visited six or seven towns in a row.

"We have to be scrupulous about every detail when it comes to the restoration of historical buildings. Not a single piece of wrong information should be passed down to our children," he said.

Nowadays, the courtyard is spacious. There are colorful paintings, lifelike stucco reliefs and ingeniously carved window panels. Standing on the refurbished stage, people feel they've been whisked back in time.

By the end of last year, nearly 200 historical structures in the area had been repaired at a cost of 5 billion yuan （$726 million）。

The ancient complex is exploring other ways of revitalizing itself.

Many of the historical buildings have been opened to visitors, some have become themed museums, others host cultural events and demonstrations of folk crafts, such as bodiless lacquerware and cork carving.

The efforts have paid off. Sanfangqixiang has become a popular tourist destination, receiving more than 10 million annual visits since 2015.

It is early autumn in China. When night falls and the heat fades, tourists pour into the district's ancient lanes and alleys. Strolling along bustling Nanhou Street, many stop at the specialty store run by Guo Li, a skilled cork carver.

"While properly preserving our traditional crafts, we must add modern-day elements so they can shine once more," Guo said.

Source:<https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202209/08/WS63194598a310fd2b29e7699e.html>