No merit to proposal
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-03-11 07:20

Do we need a place, which is representative of Chinese culture and where national level cultural rituals are held?

Possibly. But it is definitely ludicrous to believe that we can spend a huge sum building such a place, and then just designate it as a city with defining characteristics of Chinese culture.

A member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at its plenary meeting on Sunday proposed the setting up a fund for the building of such a city and called for the fund to be included in the State budget.

She was referring to project in Shandong province which was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in October last year.

It is noteworthy that many CPPCC members strongly disagree, and some of them have already put forward a motion to suspend the project and reconsider its feasibility.

We applaud such a motion and are proud of those CPPCC members who do not simply echo other people's views, even if aired by people of certain weight.

It is indeed ridiculous to believe that culture can be built with money. Culture is a kind of sediment of human wisdom through thousands of years, and behind the Chinese culture is the history of more than 5,000 years.

Culture can be represented by an antique, a piece of artwork or an ancient building. It can be a city too, but the city itself should be an historical one such as Pingyao, a well-preserved ancient city built in the Ming and Qing dynasties in Shanxi province.

Even that city, with its ancient streets and houses well preserved, cannot be said to have defining characteristics of Chinese culture, to say nothing of a modern city to be built.

It is sheer wishful thinking that a newly built town with the title of Chinese Cultural Landmark City will appeal to the people.

In striking contrast is the reality that many places of historical interest have been damaged or even demolished in the process of urban renewal nationwide and that a lack of funds has seriously affected the effective preservation of sites or structures of historical interest.

We should spend money in preserving well what our ancestors have left us, rather than squander a huge sum in erecting a fake antique city.

It is time to stop doing such silly things.

(China Daily 03/11/2008 page9)