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Kung fu star Jackie Chan had initially planned to donate four Hui-style ancient buildings in Anhui to the Singapore University of Technology and Design. The local government has now stepped in to deal with the issue, ensuring that something similar doesn't happen again in the future.
In his latest blockbuster Chinese Zodiac, Jackie Chan muses, "Nobody could rob relics from other countries and display them in his own museum." The lines are ironic considering the film icon's decision to donate four of his ancient Chinese wooden buildings to a Singapore university.
On April 4, Chan announced his intention to move the buildings, after failing to reach an agreement with the Hong Kong government.
The news caused a sensation on the Internet, sparking debate over the conservation of China's cultural heritage. According to the third national survey on cultural relics, over 40,000 supposedly "immovable" relics have disappeared in the past 30 years, with more than half that number destroyed through construction.
Hui-style architecture, found in Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, is characterized by buildings with white walls and black roofs. They are considered to be "living fossils" of ancient Huizhou culture.
Local governments are taking action. Anhui province has begun recording and surveying all of its ancient buildings, with each one receiving an ID number that includes information such as conservation level, design and construction techniques. All the registered buildings will be forbidden from leaving the province.
(english.anhuinews.com)
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