Protect antiquities

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) has informed the Guangdong provincial government about its investigation into the damage a renovation project has done to a cultural antiquity in Guangzhou and expressed hope that those responsible will be punished according to law.

The building was built in 1899 as the office of a French bank. Listed as a State level cultural antiquity, it was noted for its well-preserved exterior and interior decoration.

The SACH investigators found that most of the building's decoration had been demolished, a serious case of the vandalizing of antiquities.

What is ironic is the local cultural heritage department's decision that the building was badly in need of renovation and that the construction company did not damage the original structure.

How can this conclusion be so completely opposed to that of the SACH investigation team?

The possible explanation is that the SACH experts have principles different from those held by their local counterparts.

The State experts believe that the architecture of culturally valuable buildings must be preserved as much as possible. Their local counterparts hold that changes can be made to such buildings as long as the structure is not demolished.

The latter view has caused irretrievable damage to some sites of historical interest. Many old and even ancient buildings have been completely renovated - destroying the heritage - in the name of cultural heritage protection.

The value of outstanding buildings from earlier eras lies in the messages of their architecture, the details of their style that inform us of a particular period of time. They are our connection to cultures and values.

We have made too many mistakes in the misguided demolition of our cultural antiquities. We have destroyed most of our ancient city walls, many old dwellings, old streets and old temples. We cannot afford to damage those that have survived the leveling before the 1970s and the "renovations" of the past two decades.

The efforts by SACH give us the hope that the remaining buildings that are part of our cultural heritage will be truly protected. But true protection can only take place with laws that safeguard antiquities.