Vain hope of restoring courtyard

Residents near the former home of architects Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin submitted letters to government authorities Monday asking for more punishment to be given to the developer responsible for the demolition.

They allege that developers trucked the remnants of the courtyard out of town, so that it will be impossible to restore.

When the house was demolished in September, "a truck registered in Hebei Province took wood and blocks away at night," said Zhao Qiwen, a resident living next to the site.

The developer, Fuheng Real Estate, was fined 500,000 yuan ($79,350) and was ordered by the city's cultural heritage administration to rebuild it using materials from the original house, the Beijing Daily reported on February 10. The administration asked Fuheng to keep records of the materials for future restoration.　

"They used big hammers and logs to knock the walls and roof down, without any consideration to the delicacy of a protected site," Zhao said.

In the letter, residents asked Dongcheng district police to file a criminal case against Fuheng for maliciously damaging relics, and said the company should lose their property development certification.　

Among the four authorities they sent letters to, only the Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage answered, who assigned Dongcheng district cultural commission to work on the matter. The others, Dongcheng police and the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, have not responded.

Kong Fanzhi, head of the city's cultural heritage administration, said previously that police will investigate, but so far there has been no announcement about this investigation.

"As far as I know, police haven't filed a case," said Wang Youyin with Beijing Shengyun Law Firm, the residents' attorney. Wang said city housing authorities issued an approval for the area's demolition in 2007 to make room for a commercial building, without consent from cultural authorities.

Residents may file a lawsuit against Fuheng, said Zhao, who alleged the company infringed their legal rights when they demolished nearby residential buildings.