Preserving the past to safeguard the future

Local authorities and concerned citizens are at the forefront of moves to ensure the survival and profitability of China's ancient villages, as Xu Jingxi reports.

West of the grand, modern Fuzhou South Railway Station in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province, stands a heap of rubble that was once Lulei, a village famous as the birthplace of several major figures in Chinese history, including the mathematician Chen Jingrun (1933-1996), a renowned expert on number theory, and the Kuomintang admiral Chen Shaokuan (1889-1969).

Despite its 700 years of history, the village was razed to make room for the new rail station. The great mathematician's former home isn't immediately identifiable amid the rubble, but at least the admiral's house managed to survive, even if it does sit in the shadow of an overpass.