Reconstruction project looks suspiciously like destruction

Is the 100-year-old Taohuawu neighborhood in downtown Suzhou, Jiangsu province, being renovated or destroyed?

That's a question now circulating on the Internet. The reconstruction of Taohuawu, which literally translates as "the Peach Blossom Dock", was announced two years ago. The project was intended to refurbish antique buildings, improve locals' living conditions and promote tourism.

But this past May, Song Weijian, an architect and vice-director of the Architectural Society of China's interior design branch, had an experience that cast doubt on whether those aims were being strictly pursued.

At a construction site, he came upon fine-crafted antique wood columns and screen doors with elaborate carvings. Curious about their origin, he later learned, to his disgust, that they had come from dismantled buildings in Taohuawu.

"They are pulling down historical buildings that should be protected," Song said on Tuesday. He took pictures showing destroyed houses and scattered debris in the Taohuawu neighborhood and posted them on his micro blog. He also condemned those who had removed parts of antique buildings.

His words and images attracted tens of thousands of comments and stirred up concerns about the destruction of Taohuawu and the historical buildings.

A house in the neighborhood has since become one of the chief topics of discussion related to the reconstruction project. The structure, No 4 Datie Lane, has a frame made of nanmu, a precious wood that has been traditionally valued in China, and dates back to the mid-1800s. The owners of the house, a pair of brothers named Ye Peiji and Ye Peikun, have refused to leave the residence to make way for the reconstruction project.

On Aug 6, the local People's Court of the Pingjiang district, Suzhou, held a hearing about the house. The government agency in charge of the Taohuawu reconstruction said it had a legal license to undertake the project and the Ye family will have to give up their house.

"Some rumors on the Internet said we are tearing down the house at No 4 Datie Lane, but that's not true," said Cao Qinliang, manager of the Taohuawu Development Co Ltd. "The people living there should be removed, but the house won't be."

Cao said more than 1,400 of the 1,503 households living in the neighborhood have moved.

"Some houses have to be dismantled to make way for road construction, parking spaces - necessary public accommodations," he said. "But no historical buildings will be removed."

He declined to say what the house will be used for after the reconstruction.

Ye Peikun argued that his family has legal ownership of the house, saying it is a historical antiquity and therefore should be protected.

"We are capable of protecting our own home, as long as the government allows us to."

Ye presented 150-year-old legal papers to the court showing his family has had legal ownership of the house since 1863. "Our ancestors purchased the house at that time, and the house itself dates back even further," he said.

Architectural Society of China's Song, an experienced architect who has worked on restoring numerous old buildings, said the Ye family should be allowed to stay on its own property.

"Protecting a historical neighborhood means you should keep its original look and original way of life," Song said. "Driving people away and keeping an empty shell of a house is almost tantamount to producing a fake."

Song said the construction company has removed many old structures and kept various "valuable" buildings.

"A few ancient buildings scattered among skyscrapers can't make a historical town," Song said.

No conclusion was reached in last week's court hearing.

zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn