Pingtan has always been an important coastal defense spot. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it speeded up the island construction and attached great importance to coastal defense. In the early 1950s, the masses and migrant workers were mobilized to support the frontline for wars, and to assist garrisons in digging bunkers and tunnels. In the 1980s, 29 units in the coastal areas of Pingtan and the garrisons set up defense alliance areas and defense spots for the nation's coastal security.