Ba17 Road was named to commemorate the day of the liberation of Fuzhou. It is also one of the most prosperous roads in Fuzhou and has witnessed the tremendous changes in Fuzhou over the past 60 years.
Before liberation, the road from Nanmendou to Gulou in Fuzhou did not have a unified name. The old wooden houses on this road were sandwiched between narrow streets. In addition to pedestrians, rickshaws, and "three manure pickers" on the streets, Fuzhou peasant woman with a knife, and old buses still running on the road.
“I often see people blocking the door of the rice shop on this road, cursing, ‘Why has the price of rice increased again?’ Old Fuzhou calls this kind of thing ‘the wooden sign has fallen’, which means that it is inserted in the The price on the wooden sign on the rice has been put down again to prepare for price changes. Before liberation, our family had a house for rent in the Antai Center area of ????Ba17 Road. At that time, the rent was calculated in terms of rice," said Zheng Ziduan, an old Fuzhou native.
On August 17, 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Fuzhou from this road. Fuzhou has ushered in a new page.
On August 14, 1950, the Fuzhou Municipal People’s Government decided that Zhongzheng Road, Doumen Road, Fude Road, Chating Road, Jixin Road, Hengshan Road, Xiaoqiao Road and Zhongting Road, which traverse the north and south of Fuzhou, The road was renamed 817th Road.
Fuzhou's "Gulou District Chronicle" stated that in July 1957, the reconstruction of Bayiqi North Road started and was completed at the end of September of the same year. Not only did cement pavement be laid but also sewers were rebuilt. “In 1957, the three-story Dongjiekou Department Store was built on Bayiqi North Road. Almost every night, some of my neighbors and I would go to see the construction progress. Among houses, this three-story commercial building was considered a tall building at that time!" Zheng Ziduan said.
In November 1964, just opposite the Dongbai Building, a new landmark in Fuzhou appeared - the 39.6-meter-high Fuzhou Post and Telecommunications Building. At that time, it was almost recognized as the tallest building in Fuzhou City.
After the reform and opening up, Bayiqi Road has changed rapidly. Today, there are many high-rise buildings on Bayiqi Road. The original Post and Telecommunications Building has long since withdrawn from its position as the tallest building.