Chinese people like to trumpet the country's 5,000-year history. But when it comes to preserving the magnificent cultural heritage of their ancestors, they're not doing a very good job.
The tumultuous years of the Cultural Revolution saw countless historical relics wrecked in a deliberate attempt to destroy 'old culture'. Those that survived the excesses of Maoism are now under attack from a very different quarter - the country's fast-growing real estate sector.
In the Jiangsu city of Zhenjiang, 13 ancient underground grain stores from the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368) have been badly damaged by a municipal-government-owned developer building a luxury residential and commercial complex. The grain stores were recognised by the central government as one of last year's top-10 archaeological discoveries. An expert from the Nanjing Museum says that even though the provincial and national cultural-heritage authorities have ordered a halt to construction, excavators and bulldozers are still working at the site, alongside archaeologists busily digging out more ancient treasures.
Two years ago, in Anhui's poverty-stricken Sixian county, a 900-year-old temple was dismantled after the land it occupied was sold to a developer planning to put up luxury flats. The developer paid top dollar for the site, and the flats have sold well because the site is in a prime location. The local heritage department opposed the project but it went ahead thanks to the support of more powerful departments.
In Ezhou, Hubei, dozens of senior citizens have joined hands over the past few months to keep the wrecking ball away from an 1,800-year-old temple. After reading a report that the temple was to be moved to make way for a property development, they have petitioned the government, stood guard during the day and even hired a migrant worker to sound the alarm if any attempt is made to demolish the temple at night.
Xinhua says at least 30,000 cultural-heritage relics registered with the authorities have disappeared in the past 25 years.