Legal threat for group behind a 2nd palace
Print Edition
Managers at Beijing’s Old Summer Palace say they may take legal action if a controversial replica in east China’s Zhejiang Province infringes on its intellectual property.
The storm surrounding the replica in Hengdian Township intensified last week when the man in charge of construction announced that it should be completed in 2016, with some sections open to the public from May.
The Old Summer Palace’s administrative office said the complex of pavilions and gardens built for Qing Dynasty emperors is “unique and cannot by replicated. The construction and development of the site should be planned by authoritative national organizations, and any replication of it should reach certain standards.”
Hengdian is being developed into a giant film set and tourist attraction by the Hengdian Group.
It has already enjoyed financial success in building replicas of the Forbidden City and the Tian’anmen Gate Tower there.
The Old Summer Palace project, however, faced fierce criticism when it was announced in 2008, with many accusing it of bastardizing a site associated with patriotism.
The palace is frequently referenced in patriotic education campaigns due to its historical ransacking by foreign powers.
The announcement of the May opening has triggered much criticism online.
One Sina Weibo user wrote “The garden is associated with humiliation. Why bother spending so much in replicating it?”
Another posted “I would prefer they spend to design a better one.”
Others voiced support, however. “I support it. I have been longing to see the original since I was a child,” was among several posts that came out in favor of the project.
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