Old Beijing champion's home demolished
January 30, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
In the 1950s, his bold plan to prevent modern development in the ancient city of Beijing was rejected.
Now, three decades after his death, the historic courtyard home of renowned architect Liang Sicheng in the capital's downtown has been bulldozed.
Liang's siheyuan - a traditional courtyard home - was demolished by a real estate developer last Thursday, in the name of "preservation."
The brick structure in Beizongbu hutong - narrow lanes - was where Liang and his wife and fellow architect Lin Huiyin, also known as Phyllis Lin, lived and began an unprecedented profiling of ancient Chinese architecture during the 1930s.
Born in 1901, Liang was considered "Father of Modern Chinese Architecture" for his extensive research on Chinese architecture and pioneering role in advocating the preservation of ancient buildings.
He co-proposed in the 1950s that, in order to preserve Beijing, a completely new city should be built to the west. This plan was vetoed by the government.
The city government said on Saturday that the demolition was not approved by the cultural heritage authorities and that officials would investigate.
This is the latest example of historic architecture being lost in Beijing, as high-rise office buildings, apartment blocks and shopping malls replace the maze of siheyuans and hutongs that were signatures of the city.
Liang's former residence was partially destroyed in 2009 but demolition was halted following a public outcry.
Since then, the site has been designated as a cultural relic, requiring approval from the cultural heritage authorities for any redevelopment, said Wang Yuan, an official with the district culture bureau.
The official said developer Fuheng Real Estate, a subsidiary of China Resources, claimed that it tore down the dilapidated building on safety grounds and pledged to have it restored in better condition.
Wang said the government had made it clear that Liang's courtyard home must be rebuilt and had ordered the developer not to remove anything from the rubble.
But the developer's "demolition for preservation" argument provoked anger among media and the public.
In a survey by microblogging site Sina Weibo, 89 percent of the 6,500 participants by Saturday night said the building should not have been demolished.
"In the blind pursuit of economic growth, China has not paid enough attention to the value of its culture," said a comment posted on the People's Daily's website. "We must improve protection to prevent this tragedy from being repeated."
Now, three decades after his death, the historic courtyard home of renowned architect Liang Sicheng in the capital's downtown has been bulldozed.
Liang's siheyuan - a traditional courtyard home - was demolished by a real estate developer last Thursday, in the name of "preservation."
The brick structure in Beizongbu hutong - narrow lanes - was where Liang and his wife and fellow architect Lin Huiyin, also known as Phyllis Lin, lived and began an unprecedented profiling of ancient Chinese architecture during the 1930s.
Born in 1901, Liang was considered "Father of Modern Chinese Architecture" for his extensive research on Chinese architecture and pioneering role in advocating the preservation of ancient buildings.
He co-proposed in the 1950s that, in order to preserve Beijing, a completely new city should be built to the west. This plan was vetoed by the government.
The city government said on Saturday that the demolition was not approved by the cultural heritage authorities and that officials would investigate.
This is the latest example of historic architecture being lost in Beijing, as high-rise office buildings, apartment blocks and shopping malls replace the maze of siheyuans and hutongs that were signatures of the city.
Liang's former residence was partially destroyed in 2009 but demolition was halted following a public outcry.
Since then, the site has been designated as a cultural relic, requiring approval from the cultural heritage authorities for any redevelopment, said Wang Yuan, an official with the district culture bureau.
The official said developer Fuheng Real Estate, a subsidiary of China Resources, claimed that it tore down the dilapidated building on safety grounds and pledged to have it restored in better condition.
Wang said the government had made it clear that Liang's courtyard home must be rebuilt and had ordered the developer not to remove anything from the rubble.
But the developer's "demolition for preservation" argument provoked anger among media and the public.
In a survey by microblogging site Sina Weibo, 89 percent of the 6,500 participants by Saturday night said the building should not have been demolished.
"In the blind pursuit of economic growth, China has not paid enough attention to the value of its culture," said a comment posted on the People's Daily's website. "We must improve protection to prevent this tragedy from being repeated."
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