Objective/Meaning As the first "National Historical and Cultural Town" in Fuzhou and the first pilot site for Rural Construction and Innovation Cooperation in Fujian and Taiwan in Fujian province, Songkou holds typical significance. By taking a holistic view of the historical background of Songkou, this paper aims to evaluate the design concepts and community performance within its placemaking strategies and analyze existing limitations. It seeks to provide references for solving common challenges in China’s rural revitalization, such as the intensification of community-industry conflicts, local ecological degradation, and labor force loss.

Method/Procedures Through a comprehensive application of research methods including non-participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and textual analysis, this study conducts a qualitative analysis based on limited samples to evaluate the process and strategies of placemaking in Songkou as well as the responses of villagers, village cadres, and the designer team.

Results/ Conclusions The placemaking in Songkou follows a top-down model led by the government and planned by cross-strait design teams, which has achieved certain effectiveness. However, the implementation process still faces 4 major limitations: population loss, lack of elderly care, lagging pollution control, and conflicts of concepts.