A Chinese private foundation announced Thursday it would
construct a replica of the famous royal gardens of Beijing's
Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) which was destroyed by fire 146
years ago when Anglo-French forces stormed the
building.?? ?
The China Culture Relics Protection Foundation and the
privately-owned Zhejiang Hengdian Foundation for Chinese
Cultural Development, led by 72-year-old Xu Wenrong, will
collaborate on the project. They intend to build the replica at
Hengidan in Zhejiang Province.
Funds will be raised in China and overseas for the work and
cultural treasures from the garden will be collected, said Xu
Wenrong, chairman of Zhejiang Hengdian Foundation for Chinese
Cultural Development.
Chief designer Zhang Xianchun said, "The replica will be a 1:1
imitation of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) complex featuring the
three main building clusters of Yuanming, Changchun and Yichun
gardens. It'll cover more than 400 hectares and 40 percent will be
water."?
The designer said the new Yuanmingyuan will express "the
artistic quintessence of Chinese gardens."
The elderly Xu told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that he'd
been dreaming about the project for 15 years. He said he was
confident of being able to recreate the splendor of
Yuanmingyuan.
But Xu's ambition has met with fervent opposition in many
quarters. Opponents believe?Yuanmingyuan is a symbol of
humiliation to Chinese.
Professor Ruan Yisan, director of the State Institute of Famous
Historical and Cultural Cities with Shanghai-based Tongji
University said, "It took 150 years to build Yuanmingyuan. It
cannot be recreated in five or ten years."
"The present-day ruins are testimony to that period of history,"
said Ruan. "The replica is unnecessary. It would be better to spend
the money on ancient cultural heritage sites which are in dire need
of protection or build some modern mansions blended with aspects of
ancient Chinese architecture.
"If the replica is billed as a tourist attraction, it might lose
a lot of money given the huge funds needed for its construction,"
said Ruan.
China has 2,500 such tourist sites in which 150 billion yuan
(US$18.75 billion) has been invested. Only ten percent of them are
profitable.
Ruan is not the only critic of the project. Ye Yanfang, a
researcher with the institute of foreign literature with the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the destruction of
Yuanmingyuan was a scar left by powerful Western nations on the
back of the Chinese nation. Preserving the ruins in Beijing
protected the true facts of history.
However, some experts and scholars from the China Yuanmingyuan
Institute, the State Archives Administration, Tsinghua and
Peking Universities support Xu and his proposal. They believe
the replica will provide a stark contrast to the bleak remains in
Beijing and remind young people of that period of
history.
Standing firm at the center of the "storm", Xu said he wouldn't
be swayed contending that the Yuanmingyuan ruins could continue to
serve as a reminder of history while the Hengdian replica would
showcase the artistic achievements of pre-1860 China.
"Nothing can change my mind," he said. "This project is a
long-cherished ambition of mine and for 15 years I have been
collecting materials from the original Yuanmingyuan which were
scattered to all four corners of the earth."
Li Jianping, a Yuanmingyuan expert, said both viewpoints sought
"to protect China's great cultural heritage and enhance its
position in world cultural history. The advantages and
disadvantages of the replica will not be clear until it has been
built."?
According to historical records, construction of the original
Yuanmingyuan began in 1707 and continued for 150 years under five
Qing Dynasty emperors. It consisted of three interconnected gardens
covering an area of 350 hectares of which 140 hectares were water.
The Yuanmingyuan is listed as a site for "patriotic education".
The Hengdian Social and Economic Federation led by Xu Wenrong
won fame for a development featuring reproductions of the Forbidden
City in Beijing, a Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) palace and a prosperous
Song Dynasty (960-1279) downtown street. The development attracted
3.3 million visitors last year.
(China Daily October 20, 2006)