Rebuilding the Forbidden City BEIJING. The Chinese government announced last month that it is to make 1.5 billion Yuan ($185 million) available for restoration of the Forbidden City over the next 15 years. Work has already started, and scaffolding now covers dozens of buildings in the complex. Projects along the central axis are scheduled for completion by 2008, in time for the Olympic Games in Beijing. The Chinese ethos of building restoration is radically different from that now prevalent in the West. In China, there is a much greater willingness to discard worn original material and replace it with replicas. This is symbolised by work currently taking place in the large courtyards of the Forbidden City. Huge swathes of worn paving stones are being replaced with new stones. To Western eyes, it seems a tragedy to allow the palace's paving to be turned into rubble. Another example is the intricately carved steps up to the major buildings.
These are worn, through weathering and use. Most of the originals with their designs of dragons and other beasts remain in situ, but some have been replaced with newly carved versions of the originals. These stand out with their whiter surface and sharp definition, reducing the visual impact of the elegant steps used by generations of Chinese emperors. Replacement is part of Chinese tradition, and for centuries the buildings of the Forbidden City have been renovated in this way, making it difficult for all but the specialist to see how much of a particular building is original. In part, this is because traditional Chinese building materials are often less durable than those used in major European buildings.
To the Chinese, a building is regarded as original as long as its basic form survives, even if it has been partly rebuilt with more modern materials A similar principle operates in Beijing's National Museum, where replicas of masterpieces are often shown with little indication on the labels that they are not the originals. Another major project underway at the Forbidden City is to upgrade a huge number of roof tiles, since these have deteriorated badly. Sixty per cent are degraded, causing leakages and damaging interiors. Some tiles are being reglazed, but many are simply being replaced. Although remedial work on the tiling is essential, experts from Unesco and Icomos (International Council of Monuments and Sites) regard the new tiles as too bright. In July a Unesco report pointed out that the tiling has had considerable visual impact, since the monotonous yellow tiles now dominate the skyline. It therefore decided to send a monitoring mission to Beijing, to examine how the restoration is going, and China has been asked to submit a progress report by January next year. Outside experts are delighted that the Chinese authorities are providing a massive injection of funds for the preservation of the imperial palace, but the question is whether the techniques used are always appropriate for such an important historical site.
November 2005
