fluktor -|||- study - office - newsletter August 26, 2005

Buffer zone to protect Forbidden City
www.chinaview.cn 2005-08-22 14:59:17

BEIJING, Aug. 22 -- A new buffer zone created by the Beijing Municipal Government to protect the Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing will also serve to protect remaining hutongs and siheyuan (courtyard residences).

The buffer zone joins others designed to protect Beijing's most important cultural sites, including the six sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in late July, endorsed Beijing's heritage-site protection plan for the Forbidden City and areas to its north and south during the committee's 29th meeting, which was held in Durban, South Africa.

A Xinhua News Agency report said that the plan amounted to an attempt to "balance" the economic expansion of Beijing with the protection of its cultural heritage, a task "by no means insignificant for a city trying to develop into an international metropolis" such as London, Paris or New York.

The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, would lie at the heart of the new 1,463-hectare buffer zone. A vital part of the zone is the 86-hectare Imperial City, in the immediate vicinity of the Forbidden City, where the various ministries of imperial China were once based.

The buffer would extend from Zhengyangmen (the South-Facing Gate) on its south to Di'anmen (the Gate of Earthly Peace) in the north. It encompasses Tian'anmen Square along with the Square's eastern and western flanks, and the area lying between the northern wall of the Forbidden City and the northern Second Ring Road. The northern part of the buffer is home to five sites of historic interest, including the Imperial City; the Directorate of Education, which was the highest seat of learning in imperial China; and the Shichahai Lake area, which is famous for its magnificent mansions and homes that once belonged to princes, political leaders and famous Chinese intellectuals.

Expanded Buffer Zone

The name, Forbidden City, which is most familiar to westerners, is a short form for Purple Forbidden City. It is where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled China in succession from the 15th century to the early 20th. The colour purple was associated with the stellar constellation known to the Chinese as Ziwei, or "Purple Infinitude," which was said to be the abode of the Heavenly Emperor, the supreme ruler of the universe. Chinese emperors were supposed to be “sons of the Heavenly Emperor” and as such, were mandated by the Heavenly Emperor to rule the earthly world.

In 1987, the Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved palace complex in the world, was enshrined on the UNESCO World Heritage List, along with five other sites in the country. No buffer zone was designated for it, because China had acceded to the World Heritage Convention just two years before, in 1985. As a new signatory to the convention and as a privilege, the sites were added to the List without examination by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

Nevertheless, a buffer zone is a must for any listed site under UNESCO's standing rules.

Kong Fanzhi, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, said, "That means the Beijing Municipal Government was still obliged to develop a buffer zone for each of the World Heritage List sites in Beijing."

At the 28th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Suzhou, a scenic city in East China's Jiangsu Province, in 2004, the Beijing Municipal Government proposed two alternatives for the planned buffer zone to protect the Forbidden City. One, a 597-hectare area, covered most of the sites where imperial families once lived and worked, including, for example, the Winter Palace, now a part of Beihai Park. The other called for a much larger buffer zone of 1,463 hectares, to protect not only imperial or princely sites and structures but also what still remains of "old Beijing," the centuries-old lanes known as hutong and siheyuan—walled courtyards with one-story buildings arranged in neat squares.

According to Kong and other officials, the second alternative won approval.

Protection Measures

Plans of the Beijing Municipal Government require that new structures built in the buffer zone shall not be taller than nine metres high.

"If the policy is truly implemented," Kong said, "people may stand on the terrace of any of the three main buildings in the Forbidden City and look into the distance without seeing a building so high that it blocks their vision. Existing buildings with a height exceeding nine metres will either be relocated or renovated to suit the limit."

He was referring to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Perfect Harmony and the Hall of Preservation of Harmony, where some of the most important imperial ceremonies were held.

According to Kong, work is under way to find a new site for the construction of the National Modern Drama Theatre, a State-level cultural project. "The theatre has to be higher than nine metres and it so happens that the site chosen for its buildings is near the Gate of Earthly Peace."

He also cited the office building of the Beijing Municipal Housing Administration Bureau, which lies to the southeast of Tian'anmen Square, in the eastern corner of the buffer zone. The building once had six stories and was 20 metres tall.

"The top three stories have been demolished," Kong said. "The bureau has set a good example for government agencies in following the guidelines for the development of the buffer zone."

The Beijing Municipal Government will, in principle, forbid the massive dismantling of traditional structures in the buffer zone, most notably siheyuan courtyards and hutong lanes, and the existing streets and lanes there will not be widened.

"The buffer zone, taken as a whole, should be commensurate with the Forbidden City in terms of architectural style, colour and hue," Kong said. "That, in fact, is the whole point of our setting up this buffer zone. Silhouetted against a vast expanse of low, traditional housing buildings in an area without modern western-style structures, the Forbidden City will look even more magnificent and the Imperial City will look more authentic."

According to officials of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, urban infrastructural development will be allowed in the buffer zone, provided it conforms to the policy of preserving, as far as possible, the original look and feel of old Beijing. While protecting hutong lanes and siheyuan courtyards in the buffer zone, the government has pledged money and the effort to renovate water and heating supply systems there.

"The problem is that the buffer zone happens to be one of the most densely populated areas in Beijing," said an official, who declined to be named. "For a fundamental solution to problems faced by the people there in their lives, I think there is a need for the government to reduce the area's population density. This can be done by moving residents out of the area and resettling them elsewhere in the city."

Figures concerning the entire buffer zone were not available, but the local press has reported that in the area covered by the Imperial City, the population density ranges from 25,000 persons to 30,000 per square kilometre, compared with about 20,000 in Downtown Shanghai or Hong Kong.

No Time to Lose

Nearly all the Beijing residents interviewed for this article supported the buffer zone concept, but urged the government to continue refining and improving its plans.

Hua Xinmin, a social activist, said, "It's good that the 'massive dismantling' of siheyuan courtyards and hutong lanes is now forbidden, but that's not enough. The government should specify, in explicit language, the names of the courtyards and lanes to be preserved, and how to preserve them."

Hua, a middle-school teacher, has for years campaigned for protection of Beijing's cultural traditions.

"There are no legal provisions or penalties against individuals and organizations acting in violation of the protection plans," she said. "Neither is there any mention of the oversight over the implementation of the buffer zone's plans."

According to Hua, plans, after all, are "words on paper," and, "Beijing is rapidly changing, and it is already beyond recognition. We have no time to lose in translating the buffer zone's plans into real action."

The conflict between economic expansion and the protection of Beijing's cultural legacy is increasingly conspicuous, so conspicuous that it prompted UNESCO to intervene.

In June 2002, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the executive body of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, voiced objections to the massive dismantling of "old Beijing's" siheyuan courtyards, ongoing since the late 1980s, especially in the Imperial City.

In June 2003, at its 27th session in Paris, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee expressed worries about the "increasing pressure" stemming from urban development in Beijing bearing down on protection of the city's cultural heritage. The committee suggested that the Beijing Municipal Government should establish buffer zones for each of its world heritage sites and submit a report, in writing, before February 1, 2004, to the World Heritage Centre on the progress of its work to protect these sites.

In May 2004, the World Heritage Centre urged the Beijing Municipal Government to delimit, as quickly as possible, a buffer zone for protection the Forbidden City. In July, at its 28th session, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee asked that this be done before February 1, 2005. The committee hoped that by doing so, Beijing would be able to counter criticism of its city planning within the international community.

Hua said it would be unfair to say that the protection of its cultural heritage has been totally ignored in Beijing. She cited a list of plans put forward for that purpose, including one published in 2000 for the protection of the Imperial City.

"The buffer zone plan for the Forbidden City seems to be the most elaborate of all the protection plans published so far," she said.

Buffer zones have been set up for four of Beijing's six World Heritage List sites—the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs, the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City. Officials and experts are now busy planning buffer zones for the Great Wall in Beijing and the Peking Man site in Fangshan District.

"Mountains surrounding the two sites have served as natural buffers," Kong said. "Despite that, we think it is necessary for the sites to have legally effective buffers."

Sections of the Great Wall, which snake through Greater Beijing, have a combined length of 600 kilometres. The Beijing Municipal Government recently banned construction within 500 metres of either side of them.

(Source: Beijing This Month)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/22/content_3388258.htm

__________________

with kind regards,

Matthias Arnold
(Art-Eastasia list)

http://www.chinaresource.org
http://www.fluktor.de

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	August 26, 2005: [achtung! kunst] Buffer zone to protect Forbidden City

	Buffer zone to protect Forbidden City www.chinaview.cn 2005-08-22 14:59:17 BEIJING, Aug. 22 -- A new buffer zone created by the Beijing Municipal Government to protect the Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing will also serve to protect remaining hutongs and siheyuan (courtyard residences). The buffer zone joins others designed to protect Beijing's most important cultural sites, including the six sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in late July, endorsed Beijing's heritage-site protection plan for the Forbidden City and areas to its north and south during the committee's 29th meeting, which was held in Durban, South Africa. A Xinhua News Agency report said that the plan amounted to an attempt to "balance" the economic expansion of Beijing with the protection of its cultural heritage, a task "by no means insignificant for a city trying to develop into an international metropolis" such as London, Paris or New York. The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, would lie at the heart of the new 1,463-hectare buffer zone. A vital part of the zone is the 86-hectare Imperial City, in the immediate vicinity of the Forbidden City, where the various ministries of imperial China were once based. The buffer would extend from Zhengyangmen (the South-Facing Gate) on its south to Di'anmen (the Gate of Earthly Peace) in the north. It encompasses Tian'anmen Square along with the Square's eastern and western flanks, and the area lying between the northern wall of the Forbidden City and the northern Second Ring Road. The northern part of the buffer is home to five sites of historic interest, including the Imperial City; the Directorate of Education, which was the highest seat of learning in imperial China; and the Shichahai Lake area, which is famous for its magnificent mansions and homes that once belonged to princes, political leaders and famous Chinese intellectuals. Expanded Buffer Zone The name, Forbidden City, which is most familiar to westerners, is a short form for Purple Forbidden City. It is where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled China in succession from the 15th century to the early 20th. The colour purple was associated with the stellar constellation known to the Chinese as Ziwei, or "Purple Infinitude," which was said to be the abode of the Heavenly Emperor, the supreme ruler of the universe. Chinese emperors were supposed to be “sons of the Heavenly Emperor” and as such, were mandated by the Heavenly Emperor to rule the earthly world. In 1987, the Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved palace complex in the world, was enshrined on the UNESCO World Heritage List, along with five other sites in the country. No buffer zone was designated for it, because China had acceded to the World Heritage Convention just two years before, in 1985. As a new signatory to the convention and as a privilege, the sites were added to the List without examination by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Nevertheless, a buffer zone is a must for any listed site under UNESCO's standing rules. Kong Fanzhi, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, said, "That means the Beijing Municipal Government was still obliged to develop a buffer zone for each of the World Heritage List sites in Beijing." At the 28th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Suzhou, a scenic city in East China's Jiangsu Province, in 2004, the Beijing Municipal Government proposed two alternatives for the planned buffer zone to protect the Forbidden City. One, a 597-hectare area, covered most of the sites where imperial families once lived and worked, including, for example, the Winter Palace, now a part of Beihai Park. The other called for a much larger buffer zone of 1,463 hectares, to protect not only imperial or princely sites and structures but also what still remains of "old Beijing," the centuries-old lanes known as hutong and siheyuan—walled courtyards with one-story buildings arranged in neat squares. According to Kong and other officials, the second alternative won approval. Protection Measures Plans of the Beijing Municipal Government require that new structures built in the buffer zone shall not be taller than nine metres high. "If the policy is truly implemented," Kong said, "people may stand on the terrace of any of the three main buildings in the Forbidden City and look into the distance without seeing a building so high that it blocks their vision. Existing buildings with a height exceeding nine metres will either be relocated or renovated to suit the limit." He was referring to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Perfect Harmony and the Hall of Preservation of Harmony, where some of the most important imperial ceremonies were held. According to Kong, work is under way to find a new site for the construction of the National Modern Drama Theatre, a State-level cultural project. "The theatre has to be higher than nine metres and it so happens that the site chosen for its buildings is near the Gate of Earthly Peace." He also cited the office building of the Beijing Municipal Housing Administration Bureau, which lies to the southeast of Tian'anmen Square, in the eastern corner of the buffer zone. The building once had six stories and was 20 metres tall. "The top three stories have been demolished," Kong said. "The bureau has set a good example for government agencies in following the guidelines for the development of the buffer zone." The Beijing Municipal Government will, in principle, forbid the massive dismantling of traditional structures in the buffer zone, most notably siheyuan courtyards and hutong lanes, and the existing streets and lanes there will not be widened. "The buffer zone, taken as a whole, should be commensurate with the Forbidden City in terms of architectural style, colour and hue," Kong said. "That, in fact, is the whole point of our setting up this buffer zone. Silhouetted against a vast expanse of low, traditional housing buildings in an area without modern western-style structures, the Forbidden City will look even more magnificent and the Imperial City will look more authentic." According to officials of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, urban infrastructural development will be allowed in the buffer zone, provided it conforms to the policy of preserving, as far as possible, the original look and feel of old Beijing. While protecting hutong lanes and siheyuan courtyards in the buffer zone, the government has pledged money and the effort to renovate water and heating supply systems there. "The problem is that the buffer zone happens to be one of the most densely populated areas in Beijing," said an official, who declined to be named. "For a fundamental solution to problems faced by the people there in their lives, I think there is a need for the government to reduce the area's population density. This can be done by moving residents out of the area and resettling them elsewhere in the city." Figures concerning the entire buffer zone were not available, but the local press has reported that in the area covered by the Imperial City, the population density ranges from 25,000 persons to 30,000 per square kilometre, compared with about 20,000 in Downtown Shanghai or Hong Kong. No Time to Lose Nearly all the Beijing residents interviewed for this article supported the buffer zone concept, but urged the government to continue refining and improving its plans. Hua Xinmin, a social activist, said, "It's good that the 'massive dismantling' of siheyuan courtyards and hutong lanes is now forbidden, but that's not enough. The government should specify, in explicit language, the names of the courtyards and lanes to be preserved, and how to preserve them." Hua, a middle-school teacher, has for years campaigned for protection of Beijing's cultural traditions. "There are no legal provisions or penalties against individuals and organizations acting in violation of the protection plans," she said. "Neither is there any mention of the oversight over the implementation of the buffer zone's plans." According to Hua, plans, after all, are "words on paper," and, "Beijing is rapidly changing, and it is already beyond recognition. We have no time to lose in translating the buffer zone's plans into real action." The conflict between economic expansion and the protection of Beijing's cultural legacy is increasingly conspicuous, so conspicuous that it prompted UNESCO to intervene. In June 2002, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the executive body of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, voiced objections to the massive dismantling of "old Beijing's" siheyuan courtyards, ongoing since the late 1980s, especially in the Imperial City. In June 2003, at its 27th session in Paris, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee expressed worries about the "increasing pressure" stemming from urban development in Beijing bearing down on protection of the city's cultural heritage. The committee suggested that the Beijing Municipal Government should establish buffer zones for each of its world heritage sites and submit a report, in writing, before February 1, 2004, to the World Heritage Centre on the progress of its work to protect these sites. In May 2004, the World Heritage Centre urged the Beijing Municipal Government to delimit, as quickly as possible, a buffer zone for protection the Forbidden City. In July, at its 28th session, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee asked that this be done before February 1, 2005. The committee hoped that by doing so, Beijing would be able to counter criticism of its city planning within the international community. Hua said it would be unfair to say that the protection of its cultural heritage has been totally ignored in Beijing. She cited a list of plans put forward for that purpose, including one published in 2000 for the protection of the Imperial City. "The buffer zone plan for the Forbidden City seems to be the most elaborate of all the protection plans published so far," she said. Buffer zones have been set up for four of Beijing's six World Heritage List sites—the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs, the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City. Officials and experts are now busy planning buffer zones for the Great Wall in Beijing and the Peking Man site in Fangshan District. "Mountains surrounding the two sites have served as natural buffers," Kong said. "Despite that, we think it is necessary for the sites to have legally effective buffers." Sections of the Great Wall, which snake through Greater Beijing, have a combined length of 600 kilometres. The Beijing Municipal Government recently banned construction within 500 metres of either side of them. (Source: Beijing This Month) http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/22/content_3388258.htm __________________ with kind regards, Matthias Arnold (Art-Eastasia list) http://www.chinaresource.org http://www.fluktor.de __________________________________________ An archive of this list as well as an subscribe/unsubscribe facility is available at: http://listserv.uni-heidelberg.de/archives/art-eastasia.html For postings earlier than 2005-02-23 please go to: http://www.fluktor.de/study/office/newsletter.htm