From Global Times:
The 303-year-old Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, will have a new theme park and a culture square on its periphery, according to urban plan-ning authorities.
“The adjacent neighborhoods around the Yuanmingyuan Park are in total disorder,” reads a February 3 statement on the website of the district government.
“A floating population and illegitimate buildings plague this cultural area, creating hygiene and safety risks,” the statement continued, suggesting development as a solution.
Haidian Urban Planning Bureau officials were not available to comment Tuesday but a development plan was said to have been drafted Monday pending approval by the higher authorities, according to a report in the Beijing Daily.
The plan involves an Old Summer Palace theme park and a gateway square outside the walls of the Old Summer Palace, the paper reported.
