Suzhou plans to start work on a museum designed by famed architect I.M. Pei next month, despite controversy over the planned location near a United Nations World Heritage site.
A museum official said yesterday that a groundbreaking ceremony was planned for early next month. The 330 million yuan (HK$310 million) Suzhou Museum will be located at the southern edge of the Humble Administrator's Garden, designated a World Heritage site in 1997.
Retired government official Huang Wei, who opposed the choice of the site because it would result in the destruction of century-old buildings, expressed anger at the decision. He hopes to take his case to the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, which designates World Heritage sites.
'If international organisations do not act, then there is nothing I can do,' he said.
However, museum officials say buildings on the site are not under historical protection by the state. They argue that the site will create a cultural centre in the heart of Suzhou and that it represents a more economical choice since it will link with a neighbouring museum.
Residents said a hospital on the site had already been demolished and the destruction of residential buildings was under way.