China losing its heritage?
Updated on 31 May 2007
Citizens in China are protesting at what they see as the destruction of their heritage to make way for high rise apartment blocks.
Traditional courtyard houses are being replaced by concrete and glass schemes, as part of the government's attempts to be seen as the most modern country in the world.
In Zhuhai, near the former Portugese enclave of Macao, 26 villages are being knocked down and residents in the village of Shanchang fear their 1,000-year-old temple could be next.
Some residents are happy to be rehoused in the new buildings, while others like Wu Liufang - who is videoing the destruction - are outraged.
Last year he filmed Shanchangs Ming and Qing dynasty houses. This was the first village in the region, its buildings a unique monument. Mr Wu submitted his video report to the local authority.
He says: "I was very encouraged that somebody came to listen to me. They came up with a report and stamped it with their official seal. But when the report went to the mayor's office, it was like a stone hitting the ocean floor."
To his horror, he found himself filming the demolition gangs. Last August they started to level Shanchang. The Culture Department had marked 22 buildings with the red character meaning they should be preserved. All but the temple were demolished.
He says: "Every brick was to be numbered, packed, and carefully transported to a certain location. When there was the opportunity to rebuild, it would be done with the same material and same style."
But the materials vanished. Mr Wu filmed labourers taking granite slabs to the location where historic stone was to be collected. No guards were posted, and everything was looted.
"The reason Shanchang village has become a land of rubble is that government officials don't care about heritage and local culture," he says. "The officials focus on outside show, on political achievements during the short term they are placed here. They want everything to look uniform and brand new when they are in power. Then they move on to other posts."
What's happening here is being repeated across China. Local government officials are promoted for bringing economic growth. Often they are corrupt, in league with property developers and speculators.
Everyone is so busy hurtling towards the future that no-one listens to those who want to preserve the past.
