Demolished village at center of public interest suit
Print Edition
A village which was razed to ground to make room for an industrial park is at the center of China’s first public interest lawsuit on the preservation of historic relics.
Zhengzhou Intermediate People’s Court in central China’s Henan Province is to hear the case brought by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation.
The villagers’ committee is accused of tearing down the village, while the Xiawo Township government, Shangjie District government and the district’s culture administrative authority showed a lack of supervision, the foundation said.
Magu village has been the home of the Wang family for more than 1,000 years, with ancestors formerly high-ranking imperial officials.
In 2006, two well-preserved pots were excavated in the village. Made in Tang Dynasty (618-907), they are said to be the earliest and finest qinghua (blue and white) porcelain in China.
In a nationwide survey on cultural relics from 2007 to 2011, seven sites in the village were listed as unremovable relics.
However, in April last year, the 33-hectare village was demolished in just 20 days and villagers forced to abandon their homes.
Only two temples were left standing.
The foundation is seeking a public apology, protection for the two temples, the rebuilding of five historic sites and the construction of a museum.
Shortly after the demolition, culture officials defended their actions.
In a statement, they said that most houses in the village were built in the 1960s and 70s, and had little cultural or historic value.
Only one of the temples, which was over 100 years old, was protected while the other sites were too dilapidated to be saved.
But 70-year-old Wang Dean said: “The two temples stand in the ruins. We can’t guard them because we don’t have electricity and water supply there.”
He also said items dating back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) had disappeared.
“Previously, about 20,000 to 30,000 members of the Wang family would come every tomb-sweeping day. But this year, the number dropped to 3,000.”
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