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Restoring the Splendour of the Capital’s Imperial City

Ever since the General Plan for the Preservation of the Imperial City of Beijing was published in April 2003, scaffolding began to appear around most of the historic sites in the Imperial City and elsewhere in China's ancient capital city.

The Beijing Municipal Government is determined to restore these structures to their original magnificent state of almost a millennium ago.

Some of the preservation work is already done and much is under way. The repair of Yongding Gate and the Temple of Successive Emperors has been completed and repairs to the Yuanmingyuan Ruins and Temple of Heaven are under way.

Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years. It was the Chinese capital during three dynasties spanning more than 850 years. It is listed by the State Council as one of the country's 99 historic ancient cities, and is now home to six UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Even so, it remains no easy task to preserve these historic structures or their contents.

Protection of the Imperial City

The Imperial City is a central feature of Beijing's historical legacy. It is defined in the document as encompassing a zone stretching from Chang'an Avenue on the south to Ping'an Avenue on the north, and from East Huangchenggen to West Huangchenggen. Major cultural sites within this zone include the Forbidden City, Zhongshan Park, the Beijing Workers' Cultural Palace, Beihai Park, Jingshan Park and Zhongnanhai, the compound which houses the headquarters of China's central government.

The centuries-old Imperial City has endured natural and man-caused wear, tear and destruction and this wear is clearly visible.

"The natural degradation of our historical relics is heavy. We can only use chemical means to protect it and appeal to the research institute to work out new means to protect these historic relics," aid Mei Ninghua, director of the Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage.

2004 was the second year of the "Humanism Olympic Cultural Heritage Protection Plan." In the wake of a 330 million yuan (US$39.9 million) project that focused on the revitalization of about 100 cultural relics, which began in 2000, the government decided to invest another 600 million yuan (US$72.5 million) during 2003-8 for the protection of cultural sites and artefacts, or about 120 million yuan (US$14.5 million) each year. According to Mei, some foreign institutions and corporations are considering investing in these projects. He said 200 million yuan-300 million yuan (US$24.2 million-6.2 million) will be used to repair historic relics in Downtown Beijing and in rural areas.

The preservation is widely accepted and deeply rooted in Chinese society, and support for the programme reflects the people's pride in their heritage and that of the capital. Much has been accomplished, because of large investments and remarkable achievements, in the preservation of Beijing's historical and cultural relics. This year, increased attention will be paid to 11 sites including the Imperial Ancestral Temple and Jietai Monastery and to the former resident of Chinese reformer, classical scholar and poet Kang Youwei.

Repair teams will search for hidden dangers or threats to ancient structures. The government will go ahead with restoration of the city's UNESCO World Heritage sites, with repairs to the Summer Palace, Beihai Park (the Winter Palace), the Tomb of Emperor Xiao Zong among the 13 imperial tombs of the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall sections in Huairou District and Miyun County, as well as Lugou Bridge, known in the West as the "Marco Polo Bridge" built 1,200 years ago. Going hand in hand will be work to preserve the ancient capital's north-south and east-west axials, along with five clusters of most important ancient structures, including the Imperial School, and six of the best known scenic spots in the city, which are also of historic interest.

In 2005, 22 projects with a total floor space of 260,000 square metres (sq.m) will be repaired under the "Humanism Olympic Cultural Heritage Protection Plan." Of these, Qinian Hall and the second phase of repairs at the Xuanren Temple at the Temple of Heaven complex and repairs at Ditan Park are already under way. Taihe Gate, Shenwu Gate and Cining Palace in the Forbidden City are being prepared for repairs affecting 27,000 sq.m are under preparation.

Protection of Hutongs and Siheyuan

The protection plan also states that all hutongs and Beijing's traditional courtyards (siheyuan) should be left as they are; some special ones should get additional protection. The majority of courtyards still surviving in Downtown Beijing were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Recently, countless courtyards have degraded greatly under the stress of Beijing's population growth. About 10,000 families are living in structures worthy of cultural-heritage protection.

With a sense of helplessness and sadness, Mei said, "Some people are living in dangerous and old houses. Last year we gave training to them and gave out fire extinguishers to ensure their safety. The government has cleared these residential areas, improved electrical circuits and fire safety. The best way would be to move residents out, but that would cost quite a lot of money and take a lot of time.?

The disappearance of the city's courtyard residences has aroused great public concern. Buses in the city bear advertisements that take these public concerns into consideration. Some in the city government have suggested turning some of the courtyards into small, elegant hotels which would help protect them, while assisting tourism development. For an investment of 300,000 yuan (US$36,232), according to Zhang Miaodi, a member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a common courtyard can be converted into a rental or lease space. The investment could be recovered within two years.

Problems facing preservationists are immense, according to Mei. More than 300 culturally significant sites with a floor area of more than 2 million sq.m need protection, including that needed in rural areas.

"It's impossible to complete all the projects before 2008. We are not doing this for the Olympic Games only. Ours is a long-term plan to carry out the protection of the Beijing's heritage and we will probably submit some more requests to the authorities next year," Mei said.