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Copycat plan of Old Summer Palace called off

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-10 21:59

HANGZHOU -- The Chinese authorities said Friday they have called off the controversial replica plan of Beijing's Old Summer Palace, or Yuanmingyuan, after they found it involved illegal land use.

This came a little more than a year after a non-governmental organization announced a plan to build a full copy of the vast gardens in Hengdian Town, a filming site that provides sets for Chinese films and TV dramas in eastern province of Zhejiang.

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The Hengdian council for cooperative creating, common holding, joint enriching and mutual benefits, which is one of the sponsors, said earlier that construction work would start in 2009 and the replica would open to tourists in 2013.

The replica would cost an estimated 20 billion yuan (US$2.9 billion) of private investment and cover an area of 6,165 mu (411 hectares), according to the council headed by Xu Wenrong, chairman of Hengdian Group.

In order to push forward the replica plan, the Dongyang municipal government divided the whole project into seven sub-projects as it, if not divided, needs approval by the State Council, the Shanghai Office of Land Supervision under the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) found .

It also found that 1,057 mu of farmland would be used for the project.

Regulations released by the MLR and the National Development and Reform Commission in 2006 stipulated that theme parks are banned from building on farmland.

"The Hengdian Town has prepared ten years for the building of the Yuanmingyuan replica as it wished to revive the glory of ancient Chinese garden architecture," said Chen Qixian, deputy director of the Dongyang publicity department.

Chen said the local government thought it should support the project as it could help spur local economy while it needs no government investment.

After the probe, the local authorities have dismissed the coordination office of the replica preparatory work and disciplined Ren Liping, head of the municipal development and reform commission.

Xu said he felt regret about the government decision, but pledged that he would not continue the replica project unless the land use is given green light.

The replica plan has triggered fierce criticism after it was announced February 18 last year in Beijing as many accused the company of mixing patriotism with show business.

The Old Summer Palace authorities also have expressed opposition to the plan, saying "The Old Summer Palace is unique and irreplaceable. A full-size replica is neither possible nor tolerable".

The Imperial Garden was overrun in 1860 by British and French troops who burned and pillaged many of the hundreds of traditional Chinese and Western-inspired pavilions, fountains and gardens reserved for the emperor and his guests.

The garden was looted and burned again after partial restoration in 1900 when the Eight-Power Allied Forces sent by Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Tsarist Russia, Japan, Italy and Austria occupied Beijing.

The war-battered palace in northwest Beijing has long been regarded as one of the most humiliating chapters in Chinese history and often used in patriotic education.