Three Lanes and Seven Alleys: An Example of a Community Museum in China’s Urban Development

In recent years of tremendous social change, rapid economic growth and urban development, many historical and cultural cities or streets were either torn down or changed beyond recognition. Efforts have been made by the authorities and academics to build some streets into community museums and to preserve tangible and intangible heritages as a whole. Fuzhou city's "Three Lanes and seven Alleys", in China's Fujian province, is a case in point. It is being protected and preserved as a community museum though a new program, which involves the local authorities, professionals and residents, and which enables the continuity of the life and culture within the community. This particular case can be inspiring for similar cases in other parts of China.