46. Deceased celebrities’ homes a bone of contention

46. Deceased celebrities’ homes a bone of contention

In 2010, smoke from the fights for ownership of deceased celebrities’ homes spread throughout China. The government wants ownership of the dwellings of the first ancestor of Chinese people, Emperor Yan, and the homes of Cao Xueqin, one of the greatest writers of China, Zhuge Liang, the greatest and most accomplished strategist of Three Kingdoms (AD 220-280), Li Bai, one of the greatest poets in Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), Zhao Yun, a famous military general of Three Kingdoms and even the fictional character Ximen Qing in the classical novel All Men Are Brothers. They’re not only competing to research the celebrities’ life experience, but they’re also spending enormous amounts of money to restore the former residences for the deceased celebrities for tourism purposes. The fights for the birthplace, grave or even travel destinations of the celebrities reflect the pursuits solely for economic purposes. To attract investment and develop the tourism industry, the local governments are busy fighting for celebrity-owned properties, repairing or rebuilding the residences and performing lager-scale commemorative activities. They are the pushing hands of the “cultural war”.

 
 
Experts
Ji Tao
Raymond Zhou
Renée Haines
Jules Quartly