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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Spatial evolution of Fuzhou and Xiamen ports

A force through taxes on merchant ships . This integration
1
of military support with commerce increased Chinese
exposure to steamship technology. The extensive water
areas owned by commercial ports became focal points for
the Self-Strengthening Movement, serving as a pioneering
ground for resisting foreign aggression and safeguarding
economic interests. Concurrently, the introduction of
Western shipbuilding technology further spurred Chinese
exploration in this field, laying the foundation for a
socio-economic ideology that encouraged transitioning
from an agrarian to an industrial nation. During this
B
phase, the Self-Strengthening Move’s “business warfare”
philosophy underscored the military strategic value of
port space. Advocates of mercantilism leveraged these
spaces, intertwining national power reinforcement with
technological progress.
In 1854, Westerners established the Dobie and Co.
shipyard at Pagoda Anchorage. Initially lacking dry
docks, the shipyard’s capacity for ship repair operations
was limited. In 1864, John C. Skey founded the Fuzhou
Dock, further advancing ship repair capabilities. The dock,
with its expansive scale and equipped with features such
C as steam pumps, provided a conducive environment for
vessel maintenance (The North-China Daily News, 1868).
In 1866, an advertisement seeking craftsmen for Fuzhou
Dock was published in The North-China Daily News. By
1869, the shipyard expanded to include a new mechanical
workshop, forging plant, and updated machinery (The
North-China Daily News, 1869). In 1873, John Forster and
Co. assumed control of the dock, expanding its structure to
accommodate larger vessels, thereby advancing ship repair
technology and enabling an expanded range of services
(The North-China Daily News, 1873). From the 1880s,
the dock could even manufacture steamships. However,
unfavorable trade conditions in Fuzhou gradually led the
shipyard into economic decline. In 1884, with the outbreak
Figure 4. Spatial evolution of the Min River basin. (A) Min River of the Battle of Fuzhou, ownership transferred to the
basin, 1868. (B) Min River basin, 1891. (C) Min River basin, 1938.
Source: Drawing by the authors. Fuzhou Arsenal. While new capital brought technological
upgrades and equipment investments, the foreign-operated
shipyard struggled to maintain continuous prosperity due
landscape of both competition and collaboration. In this to fluctuating market demands and political factors.
era, commercial ports evolved into vital exchange hubs
th
within the global trade network. In the mid-19 century, Lindsay and Co., a British hang,
encountered local resistance when attempting to lease land
3. Urban life: Port spaces and sociocultural and construct buildings in Fuzhou. Under pressure from
practices the British naval forces, the governor-general of Fujian
and Zhejiang reluctantly granted permission for hangs
3.1. The Sail era (1840 – 1870) to conduct business in Nantai (Dai, 1988). During the
Western capitalists initiated shipyard construction in 1860s, the concepts of business warfare began to sprout
treaty ports, ostensibly to expand market trade but with
the true intent of territorial expansion. This approach 1 “To defend merchant ships with the strength of warships is
combined commercial and military interests, using to use the taxes from merchant ships to support warships.”
warships to protect merchant vessels and funding naval This line appears in the first volume of Yi Yan (易言).

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 6 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3495