Zhejiang has a town that is famous as a movie-making location. Now some want to build something much grander than just films – a replica of the destroyed Yuanmingyuan Palace. Translated by CDT from China Youth Daily:
Hengdian (横店) is Asia’s largest filming location. There is Guangzhou Street, Hong Kong Street, Qin Palace, and other historical or scenic replications, all for filming purposes. “Why not build a Yuanmingyuan?” some local Hengdianese asked.
And that’s the plan underway, to reproduce the grandeur and royal elegance of the old Summer Palace that has been sleeping in ruins since its destruction when the eight allied powers descended upon Beijing a century ago.
That would cost 20 billion yuan, on a plot of land totaling 6,165 mu. The project is projected to be completed by 2013, if it gets going next year as planned. And soon, it attracted plenty of naysayers, more than 60% on a portal survey.
Now the businessman Xu Wenrong (徐文荣) who kicked off this grand plan is busy fund-raising. He has secured 1.16 billion, and has a long way to go. But he remains confident that he will succeed in terms of raising enough cash for his pet project. [Full Text in Chinese]
