Huangzhou residents in two minds over McDonald’s outlet at historic Chiang Ching-kuo residence
Some say it would defile West Lake precinct while others say building should be open to the public be allowed to sell refreshments
Fast food chain McDonald has applied to open an outlet in the former residence of the late Taiwanese president Chiang Ching-kuo in Hangzhou, sparking debate whether Western fast-food stores should be allowed at historical sites.
The outlet would be in Chiang’s former residence on Beishan Road, near the scenic West Lake. It will sell only coffee, sandwiches and chips but not hamburgers or fried chicken, according to a notice posted on the website of the Huangzhou Garden and Cultural Relics Bureau seeking public opinion on the proposal.
A regulation issued last year to manage businesses around the West Lake states that only simple food, such as sandwiches or snacks, can be sold at historical sites within the zone, the Qianjiang Evening News reports.
The residence was built in 1931 and Chiang lived there with his family in 1945 for about a year.
Chiang, the elder son of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, left the mainland after Kuomintang were defeated by the Communists in 1949 and retreated to Taiwan.
Although listed in the city’s historical cultural sites, the residence has been closed to the public for many years, the newspaper said.