At this time 146 years ago, the raging fire set down by the British and French forces after looting was burning day and night in the Old Summer Palace. A fire burned this masterpiece that once carried the political, cultural and artistic ideals of the prosperous Kangxi and Qianlong periods into ruins, leaving behind only shocking ruins and lingering pain in the hearts of the Chinese people.
At this time, 146 years later, a Chinese non-governmental organization launched the grand reconstruction project of the Old Summer Palace amid controversy. Issues such as whether the Old Summer Palace needs to be rebuilt and whether it can be successfully rebuilt have once again aroused heated discussions from all walks of life: Is it a manifestation of forgetting the national humiliation, or is it for better national humiliation education? Is it wanton hype by merchants, or is it an act of love from the heart? Speculations and controversies abound. For a time, people were at a loss as to what to do.
RMB 20 billion to rebuild an Old Summer Palace
In September this year, the Zhejiang Hengdian Community Economic Federation officially announced that it would raise 20 billion yuan to rebuild an Old Summer Palace in Hengdian Town, central Zhejiang Province .
Xu Wenrong, chairman of the federation and the proposer and advocate of the reconstruction idea, said that the reconstruction site of the Old Summer Palace was chosen on a barren hillside to the west of Hengdian Town, where the Yuanming, Changchun, and Qichun (later) It is composed of three gardens (renamed "Wanchun"). According to his vision, the reconstruction project covers a total area of ??347 hectares and will be restored 1:1 according to the actual scene of the Old Summer Palace that was burned down by the British and French forces 146 years ago.
The Hengdian Social Economic Federation announced the reconstruction of the Old Summer Palace, a social and economic organization registered by the civil affairs department. This organization is located in Hengdian Town, central Zhejiang, known as "Hengdian Film and Television City". There are more than 10 film and television building complexes here, including the Qin Palace, which imitates the Qin and Han Dynasty buildings, the Qingming Shanghe Garden, which imitates the Southern Song Dynasty buildings, and the Ming and Qing Palace Gardens, which are designed and built according to the 1:1 style of the Forbidden City. Famous films such as "A City Full of Golden Armor" were filmed here. The Hengdian Social Economic Federation and the Hengdian Group, which is closely related to it, are the builders and owners of Asia's largest film and television shooting base.
The planned Old Ming Dynasty New Garden will invest 20 billion yuan, all of which will be raised through social fundraising and domestic and foreign corporate investment. "Of the 20 billion funds arranged, 6 billion will be used for architectural design and internal and external decoration, and the remaining 14 billion will be used for the collection, acquisition and reproduction of various internal cultural relics." Xu Wenrong said, Hengdian Community Economic Federation And the Hengdian Zhejiang Huaxia Cultural Development Foundation under it will be specifically responsible for the collection and arrangement of drawings of the Old Summer Palace, the construction of the New Old Summer Palace and the reproduction of cultural relics.
In the design drawings with former Beijing Film Studio designer Zhang Xianchun as the chief designer, the reporter saw that the outer circumference of the Yuanmingyuan to be rebuilt is about 10 kilometers, and the land building area is larger than the Forbidden City. 10,000 square meters, the water area is equal to that of the Summer Palace. The three gardens are separated by walls. The southernmost one is the Qichun Garden, and the northern one is the Old Summer Palace and the Changchun Garden, running side by side from west to east.
Zhang Xianchun said that the design drawing was based on hundreds of drawings and restored according to the original site of the Old Summer Palace, trying to preserve the layout of the Old Summer Palace as "authentic" as possible before it was burned down.
The Old Summer Palace was founded in 1707 and took more than a century to be basically completed. It brings together the essence of China's most representative garden landscapes, architecture and some Western architecture. It is a unique royal garden in the Qing Dynasty of China and the well-deserved "King of Gardens in the World". In addition, rare gold and silver jewelry and rare cultural relics in China are also displayed there.
On October 6, 1860, the British and French forces landed in Tianjin and invaded the Old Summer Palace. Ten days later, under the orders of the commander, they began to rob and destroy various treasures collected in the garden. After the crazy robbery, the British and French forces were still not satisfied and decided to burn the Old Summer Palace in order to deal a heavy blow to the Qing government and force it to submit. On the 17th and 18th, thousands of invaders began to set fires everywhere in the Old Summer Palace. After three days and three nights of burning, this building has been in operation for more than 150 years. It combines the achievements of Chinese and Western architectural arts, and has gathered ancient and modern art treasures, books and classics from all dynasties, as well as magnificent palaces and gardens that are rare in the world. It was looted and burned by the invading army. Later it disappeared.
Rebuilding the Old Summer Palace in another place is the wish of 72-year-old Xu Wenrong 15 years ago. The ambitious old man said that he was confident that through reconstruction, he could "reproduce the prosperous scenery of the 'Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens'" and use it to reflect the prosperity of the country.
Opponents: Reconstruction is hype, national humiliation is a selling point
However, what Xu Wenrong did not expect was that once his idea was revealed by the media, it caused an uproar in society. A survey conducted by a well-known Chinese website showed that 63% of voters did not support the reconstruction of the Old Summer Palace and believed that the ruins of the Old Summer Palace were witnesses of history. Another 9% of opponents believed that the reconstruction was "businessmen full of copper." "The destruction of the stench", only 23% of people support the reconstruction of the Old Summer Palace. The main reason is that "it can better promote traditional culture and warn future generations."
“The value of the Old Summer Palace mainly lies in its historical symbolic significance, so it cannot be tampered with or subverted casually.” Professor Ruan Yisan, director of the National Center for Research on Historical and Cultural Cities at Tongji University, said that the magnificent Old Summer Palace has been destroyed by fires and robberies. The ruins are now witnesses of that period of history. Therefore, no matter where they are rebuilt, they are of little value.
Ruan Yisan’s views represent the opinions of many opponents, including the media, scholars and ordinary people. They believe that for the Chinese, the Old Summer Palace, which was destroyed under the iron heel of the British and French allied forces, is not only the essence of a classic royal garden that represents China's superb architectural craftsmanship, but also a symbol of the shame of the Chinese people. To a certain extent, the reconstruction of the Old Summer Palace cannot enhance the pride and pride of the Chinese people. The best state of the Old Summer Palace is to "maintain its historical appearance of a ruin." The Old Summer Palace cannot be rebuilt, which should be a common consciousness and requirement of the Chinese people.
Some opponents believe that forgetting history means betrayal, and obliterating history also means betrayal. No matter how grand the new "Old Summer Palace" is, it will be a "playground" that uses the unforgettable historical humiliation of the Chinese people as its selling point. The opponent wrote an article that fiercely criticized: "How sad it is when the devastated Old Summer Palace is reduced to a theme park of singing and dancing in a foreign place?" He even believed that compared with the smoke and flames of the invaders, the businessmen were tainted by the smoke and flames. The destruction full of copper stench is even more distressing!
In addition, some people believe that the reconstructed Old Summer Palace is just one of the many film and television shooting bases in Hengdian, and it is another theme park built by Hengdian to attract attention. He believes that nearly a century and a half later, as modern Chinese business people, they intend to "reproduce the artistic glory before 1860" and simply imitate things in the past, which shows the lack of imagination of Chinese industrial operators. This kind of uninnovative behavior may not be desirable even from a business perspective. Opponents give the example that there are currently about 2,500 theme parks in China, with an investment of 150 billion yuan, of which 70% are at a loss and only about 10% are profitable. It is difficult to guarantee a return on such a huge investment.
Some people believe that the Royal Family mobilized skilled craftsmen from all over the country to build the Old Summer Palace, which took 150 years and cost hundreds of millions of taels of silver. Its astonishing cost and craftsmanship were beyond the reach of ordinary people. A private institution alone does not have the financial capacity and technical skills to complete such a grand project.