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April 18, 2015

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Old Summer Palace replica to open soon

PART of a full-size replica of the Old Summer Palace will open to tourists in east China’s Zhejiang Province next month.

Covering more than 400 hectares in Hengdian Town, the development is expected to be completed next year, though the largest of its four sections will open to the public on May 10, said Xu Wenrong, who is in charge of the project.

The four sections will replicate 95 percent of the architecture in the Old Summer Palace, he said.

The project will cost about 30 billion yuan (US$4.8 billion), the bulk of which will come from Hengdian Group, of which Xu is the former chairman.

The Old Summer Palace, a complex of pavilions and gardens built for Qing Dynasty emperors, is regarded as a symbol of China’s historical humiliation at the hands of foreign powers. It was ransacked by foreign troops in both 1860 and 1900.

It is now frequently referenced in patriotic education.

Hengdian is being developed into a giant film set and tourist attraction by the developer, which has in the past built replicas of the Forbidden City and the Tian’anmen Gate Tower.

Its latest project faced fierce criticism when it was announced in 2008, with many accusing it of bastardizing a site associated with patriotism.

Authorities said at the time that “a full-size replica is neither possible nor tolerable.”




 

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