Berita lama di bulan Januari 2008 mengenai dimulai proyek pembangunan replika istana Yuanmingyuan. Istana ini menjadi simbol ketidakberdayaan Tiongkok melawan kekuatan asing, dijarah dan dibakar tentara Inggris dan Perancis.
Untungnya proyek replika ini dibangun bukan di lokasi aslinya. Lokasi aslinya akan tetap menjadi monumen pengingat bagi generasi masa depan. Hormat saya, Yongde http://english.cri.cn/2946/2008/01/02/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Rebuilding Yuanmingyuan to Start in Feb Construction of a replica of the royal Yuanmingyuan Park, which was destroyed in the invasion of the Eight-Allied troops in 1860, is set to begin on February 18, according to the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post. The controversial project aims to restore the once splendid scenes of the royal Yuanmingyuan Park, but with a change in location. The original Yuanmingyaun was situated in the suburbs of northwestern Beijing, but the new one will be built in Hengdian, a city in eastern China's Zhejiang Province known more for its large filmmaking sets than its imperial past. Earlier reports said about 20 billion yuan is expected to be spent on the eye-catching construction, that will cover an area of 400 hectares, an area as large as that of the current complex. More than one billion yuan in funds has been initially raised, mainly composed of direct investment and public donations, the report said. The building work is to take about five years to complete. The money will be divided up for the purposes of construction, land use, infrastructure building and relic collecting. Chief designer of the project, Zhang Xianchun, said half of the designs have been completed, including a Western style building and all 40 structures to be built in line with Chinese aesthetic traditions. Sixteen percent of the new park will be left for free sight-seeing, along with 40 percent for lakes and a remaining 44 percent for gardens, Zhang said. A heated debate was triggered months ago over the restoration plan as many argued over the worthiness of the rebuilding work with such an astronomical budget. Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Garden of Perfect Splendor, is renowned throughout the world for its fabled charms and association with Chinese modern history. It was an imperial summer resort painstakingly built and repeatedly expanded upon under the personal supervision of five emperors in the Qing Dynasty. Sadly it was burn down during the Second Opium War and looted again by English and French forces in 1900.
