Rebuilding of ruined royal palace triggers debate

Hengdian Group, which owns a movie town in Hengdian, Zhejiang province, recently announced it has partly finished recreating the Old Summer Palace in the movie town and it will open it to the public on May 10. But the managers of the Old Summer Palace historical site claim their rights are being violated. Comments:

The plan to recreate the Old Summer Palace was originally stopped by the local authorities because residents reported it was against local land use policy. The construction restarted later after some changes. However, the process by which Hengdian Group obtaining approval to build its garden lacks transparency, with some saying it is still against policy. Local authorities need to make their approval procedures for projects transparent to allay the public's suspicions.

Beijing Times, April 19