Preservation Forums in China: Action Needed, Not Yet More Words

Ruan Yisan of Shanghai’s Tongji University had some comments in the China Daily yesterday on heritage (yea, I know, hardly my normal reading but was stuck on a plane with nothing else available due to the media censors). You can read them here and some reports from a forum on architectural conservation in China. In fine Xinhua style the forum, where it occurred, who organised it or what it’s title was are all omitted from the article!! There are endless preservation and heritage forums in China – they’re ongoing all the time though the action never matches the talk – classic Chinese state smoke and mirrors act. However, Ruan’s comments are interesting even if it’s supremely unlikely anyone with any power will take any notion given that those with power as the major vandals  – heritage should be preserved, some structures should be declared ‘sacred and inviolable’ and introducing and enforcing height controls is helpful as is public participation.

My problem with all of this is that Beijing is happy to see all this noted rather randomly in the China Daily in the hope that foreigners will think progress is being made on preservation and heritage. However, cities and commie cadresaround the country take no notice whatsoever – it’s just ‘blether’ as the Scots would say. All notion of height restrictions is ignored, public participation is not even considered and of course is something to be avoided at all costs and actively repressed if possible (even at the EXPO where officials panicked at some harmony-busting Scandinavians who suggested idea of ‘town hall meetings’ to get ordinary folks ideas on urban planning.The EXPO organisers have en-masse gone for the inevitable harmonious ‘panels of experts’ approach), sit back, keep quiet and learn from the masters!!

The talk goes on at the unnamed, unnoted mystery preservation forum while the destruction continues and the public remains unasked and unengaged.

Datianshuijing Hutong (formerly Da Yuan Fu Hutong), a stone’s throw from the Forbidden City and where China’s first telegraph office was – now almost totally gone despite all the ‘blether’ in the China Daily and endless forums