Studies on the conservation of agricultural heritage systems have received extensive attention since the development, in recent years, of the concept of GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Unlike industrial agriculture, agricultural heritage systems emphasize on the protection of agricultural systems, technologies, species, landscapes, and cultures; this outlook is of great significance to biodiversity protection and human-land coordination. Biodiversity and social culture, the foundations of agricultural heritage systems, are threatened by the rapid pace of industrialization, urbanization, and modernization. At the same time, the concept of place identity, derived from the disciplines of human geography and environmental psychology, has been introduced to studies of human-land relationships. At present, the place identity concept has been applied to studies of environmental attitudes and practices and attitudes towards tourism and its effects. Little research has examined the relationship between place identity and attitudes towards agricultural heritage sites. This study explored, via a questionnaire survey, the cognition and attitudes of Fuzhou residents towards the Fuzhou jasmine and tea culture system. Our study examined four dimensions of place identity (historical identity, practical identity, emotional identity, and behavioral identity) as well as demographic characteristics, cognitive attitudes, and behaviors involving heritage protection. We found that Fuzhou residents scored highest on the behavioral identity dimension and that scores in all dimensions were consistently higher for Fuzhou residents than for foreign-born residents of the region. The dimensions of historical identity, practical identity, and emotional identity differed significantly among age groups, while emotional identity and behavioral identity varied according to income. Analysis of the factors influencing respondents' place identity scores revealed strong effects of age, education level, income, and dwelling duration. However, correlations between the four dimensions and the additional factors we examined were weakest for demographic characteristics, moderate for cognitive attitude, and strongest for protective behaviors. We concluded that the protective behavior of Fuzhou residents towards the jasmine and tea culture system is best explained by their attitudes towards place, rather than their demographic characteristics. This paper offers a new perspective and methodology in the study of agricultural heritage systems and provides a useful reference for the dynamic protection and sustainable development of GIAHS. The multi-functionality of agricultural heritage systems, multiple dimensions of place identity, validity and reliability of questionnaires, and application of SEM (structural equation modeling) should be further investigated.