DigitalHumanities

Geographic Connections Fuzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Zhao’an, Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming, Gulou District, Taijiang District, Cangshan District, Wangzhuang, Fengchaoshan, Maluan Sea Embankment, Yundang Sea Embankment. Here’s a question: in 1958, if you owned a rental property in Fujian that was bigger than 100 square meters, the government would “state-manage” it. Not confiscate. Something more subtle. The government managed your property and gave you back 20% to 40% of the rent. You still had the title on paper. But you no longer had control. ...

Geographic Connections Key locations mentioned: Xiamen, Longxi, Zhangzhou, Haicheng, Zhangpu, Yunxiao, Zhao’an, Yongan, Qingning, Longyan, Fuzhou, Majiang, Wucun, Lüdao, Miaoxiang, and Meirengong. Here’s a number that stopped me cold: in 1935, only 16% of the flour imported into Xiamen stayed in the city. The other 84% had to be resold to the inland towns of southern Fujian. An island city that couldn’t feed itself. For most of the 20th century, Xiamen’s biggest fight wasn’t with any army. It was with an empty stomach. ...

Ever wondered who invented the ticking heart inside your mechanical watch? The little part that goes click-click-click instead of spinning freely? I used to think it was the Europeans. Swiss watchmaking. Seiko. The usual names. Then I opened the Xiamen City Chronicles. There’s a man in there. Su Song. Born in 1020, in Tongan, Fujian. And he did something that made me stare at my screen for five straight minutes. ...

A Question About “Road Rights” How did people build roads in Fujian 100 years ago? This wasn’t just a technical question—it was a question about capital, governance, and social change. In 1917, the first automobile was imported into Fuzhou. Before that, the scale of Fujian’s vast landscape was measured by “shoulder poles,” and travel was an arduous journey through narrow and winding ancient trails. Then something called the “Automobile Road Company” appeared. They didn’t just build roads—they also held exclusive franchises for mail, passenger, and freight transport. This was Fujian’s first wave of social capital-driven infrastructure in Fujian’s history. ...

Geographic Connections Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Putian, Xianyou, Jinjiang, Mawei, Changle, Ningde, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Introduction: The ‘Data Skeleton’ of the Fujian Opera World In the perspective of digital humanities, local chronicles are more than historical accounts; they are the cultural competitive ledgers of a region. According to the Fujian Provincial Chronicles: Opera, Fujian is a “grand province of opera,” boasting a diversity of genres and a wealth of repertoires unparalleled in China. From the Song Dynasty Puxian Opera to modern Minju and Xiangju, opera has served as the core medium for maintaining community identity and disseminating ethics. ...

Geographic Connections Fuzhou, Xiamen, Sanming, Nanping, Ningde, Longyan, Quanzhou, Putian, Changle, Tongan, Shanghai, Beijing, and Majiang. Introduction: The Institutional Logic from ‘Guaranteed Tenure’ to Market Mobility In the grand narrative of digital local chronicles, the evolution of the talent distribution system is the most profound slice for observing China’s transition from a planned to a market economy. According to the Fujian Provincial Chronicles: Personnel, from the early days of the PRC to the pre-Cultural Revolution era, China implemented a highly centralized “mandatory allocation” system, known as “Unified Guarantee and Distribution”. ...