China to Rebuild Ancient Imperial PalaceYuanmingyuan, China's greatest ancient imperial palace destroyed by the Eight-Power Allied Forces in the 1860s, will rise again after long years of white-hot debates.The rebuilt palace will compose of six parts, namely the Western-style buildings, a cultural relics exhibition, outdoor relics, a leisure and entertainment area and a service and administration area. Whether to revive the ruins, which was first raised in 1983, remains a much-debated topic among experts. Proponents said renovation will exhibit Chinese imperial culture while opponents insisted the ruins serve as a good reminder of China's humiliating past. An official in charge said that the palace to be rebuilt will not be a simple replication of the original one, which was built in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) but was burned to ruins by British and French troops in 1860. The new construction will make up less than 10 percent of the ruined one with "most of it are constructions such as pavilions and bridges", the official said. "The renovation mainly aims to keep the relics and preserve them in a better way", the official was quoted as saying. The reconstruction plan is already on the agenda of the Beijing Urban Planning and Designing Institute. However the exact date of ground-breaking is not set yet. Ten institutes and 600-odd families inside the present Yuanmingyuan Park will be moved out by the end of the year, and shops that do not square with the style of the palace will be closed when the work is finished. However, the park will not be closed during the construction and visitors can see the relics and renovation at the same time. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |