Quake city to auction its iconic complex

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-7-19  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE local government of Chengdu City, capital of China's earthquake-ravaged Sichuan Province, has decided to auction off its smartly designed administrative complex to raise more disaster relief money.

Government spokesman He Huazhang said yesterday the move could help "reap a billion yuan for post-quake reconstruction work."

The 1.2-billion-yuan (US$176-million) complex in the shape of a six-petal lotus flower was designed by French architect Paul Andreu, who established his reputation in China for his work at the Grand National Theater of China in Beijing and Pudong Airport in Shanghai.

The government office move, however, has sparked controversy among Chengdu people especially after those who were traumatized by the powerful earthquake.

An article carried on the Sichuan-online (www.sconline.com) on Thursday said that the iconic architecture trumpeted by the government to show off regional strength and the image of a smart city was launched at the wrong time and the wrong place and now became a target as the government was blamed for lavish public spending.

"The government's auction plan must have been provoked by public disapproval. But it is, after all, a positive government response to public opinion," the author Liu Hongbo wrote.

He Huazhang admitted the quake has changed policies and the government is more focused on living standards than image building.