A private company has
announced plans to rebuild Beijing's famous Yuanmingyuan Parkin Zhejiang
Province.
Hengdian Group, famous for running a huge film and television complex in the
East China province, made the announcement Monday.
A section of the ruins
of the Yuanmingyuan (old summer palace). [File
Photo/newsphoto] |
Yuanmingyuan, the old Summer Palace, is a Qing Dynasty Imperial Park in the
northwest of Beijing.
Construction began in 1709 and continued for 150 years under five emperors.
But it was burnt to the ground in 1860 by French and British troops.
Hengdian will rebuild Yuanmingyuan near Dongyang in the centre of the
province. A spokesman for the group surnamed Shi said it will be built to scale,
covering an area of 350 hectares.
Shi said the plan has gained support from the government as it will bring new
impetus to the local economy, especially the tourism industry.
The group will invest 20 billion yuan (US$2.47 billion) over five years.
"The park will be located in a remote place in the countryside, with hills,
rivers and farmland, which corresponds to the original environment of the real
Yuanmingyuan," Shi said.
"It will be a multi-functional theme park," Shi said.
Shi said the park can serve as an educational base of patriotism.
"If visitors compare the magnificent park with the ruins of the Yuanmingyuan
in Beijing, they will keep in mind the sufferings of our nation in modern
history," Shi said.
The park will also be used as a movie and television set.
The group already has a development containing an imitation of the Forbidden
City in Beijing, a Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) palace, and a prosperous Song Dynasty
(960-1279) downtown street.
The development attracted 3.2 million visitors last year.
However, the project has aroused controversy.
Ruan Yisan, a history professor with Tongji University in Shanghai, said he
could not see any point of rebuilding the Yuanmingyuan, as it has already been
destroyed.
"The remaining ruins are a witness of history and serve as a good reminder of
what happened," Ruan said.
"Therefore any attempt to rebuild the garden will only be an awkward
imitation. Moreover, the real Yuanmingyuan was not built in just five or 10
years."
Ruan suggested the group could use the money to preserve sites that are in
urgent need of protection.
According to Xinhua News Agency, China has 2,500 theme parks, with an
investment of 150 billion yuan (US18.5 billion). Only 10 per cent of them turn a
profit.
