Geographic Connections

Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Sanming, Nanping, Longyan, Putian, Shaowu, Yong’an, Ningde, Shishi, Wuyishan, Fu’an, Zhangping, Fuqing, Lianjiang, Yongtai, Minhou, Changle, Shaxian.

Introduction: The Invisible Lifeline of a City

In modern urban governance, people often marvel at the skyline of skyscrapers while ignoring the “nervous system” buried deep underground. As a strategic hub on China’s southeast coast, Fujian’s urban construction history dates back to the Han Dynasty’s Ye City 2,200 years ago. However, the real efficiency of a modern city is determined by the invisible engineering labeled as “Underground First, Above-ground Second” (先地下、后地上) in planning charts.

This principle is not an empty slogan. It is a scientific consensus gradually formed after the painful lessons of the “Great Leap Forward,” where over-emphasizing “production over life” led to a severe imbalance in city facilities. From a mere 146km of drainage pipes across the province in 1949 to 1,100km in 1990, every data set in the archives records how Fujian shifted from “facade projects” to “core infrastructure”.

Core Archive Interpretation: Wuyi Road’s Trial and the Rise of Comprehensive Development

The Birth of the Province’s First “Integrated Design” Road

According to historical records, a major milestone in Fujian’s urban planning history was the construction of Wuyi Road in Fuzhou. During the “Great Leap Forward” (1958–1960), despite the hasty environment, the construction of Wuyi Road showed remarkable foresight: it was the first main road in Fujian to implement integrate design and coordinated construction for underground pipelines. Beneath the 3,800-meter road, designers pre-installed rain and sewage pipes and reserved spaces for electricity, hot springs, water, gas, and street light conduits under the sidewalks. This model of “single excavation, multiple pipelines” became the prototype for the “Underground First” principle.

Establishing the Policy of Comprehensive Development

Entering the 1980s, Fujian began to implement a comprehensive real estate development policy. In 1987, the State Council explicitly proposed the 16-character policy of “unified planning, reasonable layout, comprehensive development, and supporting construction,” emphasizing the “Underground First, Above-ground Second” principle.

This was perfectly exemplified in Xiamen’s Lianhua New Village: in an area of 1.3 square kilometers, all pipelines for drainage, power, telecommunications, heating, and gas were buried before the buildings were constructed, achieving “synchronized planning of municipal utilities”. This development model finally ended the chaos of “digging for water pipes today and breaking the road for cables tomorrow”.

Qualitative Leap in Infrastructure: From 146km to 1,100km

Archive data shows that Fujian’s underground facilities underwent a qualitative leap over 40 years:

  • Drainage Network: From only 146km in 1949 (mostly simple brick or stone ditches) to 1,100km by 1990, serving an area of 143.6 square kilometers.
  • Water Supply: Achieved the goal of “water plants in every city and county,” with 107 plants providing a total capacity of 2.37 million tons per day.
  • Gas and Hot Springs: In 1984, Sanming Chemical Plant pioneered the use of industrial waste gas for residential supply; Fuzhou established the nation’s first hot spring protection zone, integrating it into the master plan for centralized heating.

Modern Enlightenment: The “Long-term Value” of Resilient Cities

From the digital archives, we can derive three lessons vital for modern urban survival:

  1. Rejecting “Short-sightedness”: Early urban planning often lacked strategic vision, leading to “special request projects” encroaching on green spaces. The success of Wuyi Road and Lianhua New Village proves that only by reserving sufficient underground space can a city handle future expansion.
  2. Coordination is Efficiency: The “Underground First” principle is essentially a result of administrative coordination. If power, water, and urban construction departments act independently, the city will forever remain a “zipper road” (repeatedly opened and closed).
  3. The “Hidden Value” of Land: Modern real estate has shifted from building houses to comprehensive district operations. The value of a plot depends not just on building height, but on the sophistication of its underground infrastructure—the premium space created by “Underground First.”

Fujian’s urban planning archives are not just a record of the past but a textbook on urban resilience and vision. In today’s pursuit of smart cities, revisiting the “Underground First” principle remains profoundly relevant.