China heritage chief condemns building destruction

[caption id="attachment_5101" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Construction workers pass a farmer and his goats in front of newly constructed residential buildings in Gushi, Henan province. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters"][/caption]

Read article from The Guardian newspaper (UK) where the head of the state administration for cultural heritage in China expresses concern about how building development is destroying traditional architecture.

Heritage boss Shan Jixiang says frenetic development is wasting resources and razing valuable city centre districts to make way for 'superficial' skyscrapers

Frenetic development has been a disaster for conservation, wasted huge amounts of building materials and produced boring cityscapes, China's top cultural heritage official has said.

"Bulldozers have razed many historical blocks," Shan Jixiang said this week. "The protection of cultural heritage in China has entered the most difficult, grave and critical period."

The outspoken remarks from Shan, head of the state administration for cultural heritage, echo growing concern about the destruction of buildings which date back centuries.

"Much traditional architecture that could have been passed down for generations as the most valuable memories of a city has been relentlessly torn down," he said. He warned that without support, much of China's heritage would be extinguished.

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Read full Guardian article: China heritage chief says building boom is destroying country's heritage