After much lobbying from the public, the municipal government of Nanjing has committed ¥10 million to the renovation of 100 important buildings from Republic of China era, which spanned from 1912 to 1949.
There has been growing worry amongst the architectural community as to the fate of these buildings, which have been disappearing in growing numbers over recent years. A group of architecture experts from Southeast University in particular have made their cries heard. Of the list of over 200 buildings of architectural, historic and cultural value the group has been compiling since 1988, already 40 are gone. The money mobilised to support the program will see buildings including a former foreign embassy, schools, ports and government buildings of the Republic of China, renovated over a period of three years.
However, there is a degree of ambiguity surrounding the government’s announcement. The intention of the government is to transform these buildings into important symbols of the city, which does not ensure that these buildings will be kept wholly in their original style. Also, Nanjing has over 1,000 buildings from this period so there are still many buildings at risk. With many real estate companies removing these buildings for urban development without any permission from the government, it can often be a very difficult task protecting them.
This is further evidence of the increased interest there is in China to protect culturally important buildings. Coupled with rapid urban development, this increased interest is causing a headache for municipal and provincial governments across the People’s Republic, as they are forced to decide between protecting these buildings or allowing them to be pulled down to make way for residential and commercial development.
