Top 10 Chinese cultural events of 2012
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 27, 2012
Bye-bye, former big-name residences
On Jan. 27, 2012, news exploded that one of China's most revered architects' home was demolished by Chinese developers. The home in Beijing where Liang Sicheng and his wife, Lin Huiyin, once worked lies in rubble – having fallen prey to the development they feared would destroy their city's ancient streets.
Their appreciation of China's ancient buildings and their devotion to preserving its heritage made them two of the country's most revered architects. The demolition has horrified heritage experts. Liang is known as the father of modern Chinese architecture, and much of his and Lin's most important work was carried out while they were living in the courtyard house in Beizongbu Hutong in the 1930s.
Lin's courtyard house was knocked down by developers over the lunar New Year, despite the fact it is rare for laborers to work during the festival, raising suspicions that the company hoped to avoid publicity. A Beijing official told Xinhua News Agency the firm wanted to prevent the residence being harmed, while other Chinese media quoted an unidentified developer as saying that the demolition was "in preparation for maintaining the heritage site" because the buildings were in bad condition.
But heritage protection activist Zeng Yizhi told the China Daily that "Liang and Lin made such a great contribution to the protection of Chinese ancient buildings. If their home can be torn down, then developers can do the same thing to hundreds of other ancient houses in the country."
But this is just a beginning. On Feb. 13, bloggers posted pictures indicating Chiang Kai-shek's former Chongqing residence was demolished, but Chongqing official said it was "dismantled for protection". On Jun. 23, famous late scholar, lawyer, educator and politician Zhang Shizhao's residence was also demolished by Chinese developers... the demolishing of Chinese historical figures' old residences reflect the conflicts between reservation and development, while the current cultural relic protection laws and regulations have less impact for violators because the damages can only ask between 50,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan in penalties.
He Shuzhong, founder of the Beijing Cultural Heritage center, said that early 20th century buildings are an intersection between the study and preservation of cultural relics, as pioneered by the Liang and Lin, and the dangers posed by rapid urban development. Last year, China's top cultural heritage official warned that high speed development had been a disaster for conservation.
Lin Huiyin's words over protecting Beijing city walls still hold true: "Now you dismantle the real antique, one day, you regret, and want to rebuild, then you build a fake antique."
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