Tangible benefits

Xi also wrote in the preface to Fuzhou Ancient Buildings, "With economic expansion, the government should bolster protection of historic cities, cultural heritage and ancient buildings, while a well-protected historic city can also better attract people and unite its residents."

The argument put forward by Xi has been fully vindicated in the case of Sanfang Qixiang.

In 2007, Fuzhou launched a major program to restore the ancient mansions in the neighborhood, with their old facades being maintained in the renovation work.

The city also launched programs to relocate administrative units, factories and tenants in the area.

Property owners such as Chen refurbished their homes at their own expense, with the authorities covering the cost of redeveloping roads and other public facilities.

Residents living in buildings where property ownership was not clearly defined, and where owners were unable to afford restoration work, were relocated by the authorities to affordable housing programs.

The renovation program reshaped residents' lives. The arrival of sewage facilities meant families had flush toilets and no longer had to worry about frequent summer flooding.

The neighborhood is now Fuzhou's top tourist attraction. Last month, it received 30,000 to 45,000 visitors a day, despite the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the tourism industry hard.

Last year, Sanfang Qixiang received more than 11.18 million tourist visits, which produced income of 163 million yuan ($24 million).

As of last month, local authorities had allocated 4.55 billion yuan to resettlement programs and neighborhood renovation.

The city's GDP rose from about 10 billion yuan in 1990 to 939.2 billion yuan last year.