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| Controversial Yuanmingyuan Replica to Proceed |
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A Chinese private foundation announced Thursday it would construct a replica of the famous royal gardens of 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 Funds will be raised in 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, 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 "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. Ruan is not the only critic of the project. Ye Yanfang, a researcher with the institute of foreign literature with the However, some experts and scholars from the China Yuanmingyuan Institute, the State Archives Administration, Tsinghua and 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 "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 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 (
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