Govt probes temple restaurants

A Beijing cultural heritage official confirmed Tuesday that they are investigating the current commercial use of two former historic temples.

This follows media reports which alleged that two former temples, Songzhusi and Zhizhusi in Shatan Beijie, Dongcheng district, are being used for high-end restaurants, and do not allow free public access.

Both date from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), but were turned over to public use after 1949, along with over 3,000 other temples in the capital. Many became factories, government offices or residences, and many still do not allow the public to enter.

A high-end foreign restaurant, Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB), occupies the former Zhizhusi, and an exclusive Chinese club, Songzhu Mingyuan, occupies Songzhusi.

But Zhao Jianming, the leader of the law enforcement team under Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage (BACH), said the investigation was not because of media pressure, but part of normal investigations to keep cultural heritage sites safe.

"We're trying to see whether the use of the temples as private restaurants is legal," said Zhao.

Kong Fanzhi, the spokesman for BACH, said the occupation of the temples is an historic issue.

"Temples were used by units such as television factories earlier than the introduction of the definition of what a cultural heritage site is," said Kong.

Kong promised the government will try to solve this problem and negotiate with the management of the two sites to gradually open them to the public.

A doorman at TRB, who would not allow the Global Times reporter inside, said the temple was a television factory post-1949. The site had caught fire and was seriously damaged, and the owner had spent a lot on renovation.

"The dining area is in the factory part, not in the old buildings," he said.　

TRB management had not replied to a request for comment by press time, but according to its website, when its team discovered it in 2007, the site was in ruins.

At Songzhu Mingyuan, the doorman said it was a members-only club, and would not allow access.

Local resident Weng Chunsheng, who has lived in the area for 47 years, said that locals had not been allowed inside the sites for several years.　

"When I was a child, I often climbed on the temples, but their condition was poor," he said, pointing out the newly renovated roof of Songzhusi.　

"I don't feel much about this transfer [of use]; the restaurants don't cause much noise," he said.

Cui Jinze, a member of the Chinese Commission for the International Council on Monuments and Sites, said that TRB had been sensitive when it renovated Zhizhusi.　

"The owner renovated it the way the temple was. For instance, they've used the same material as the original brick and cleaned the frescos piece by piece which is quite authentic," he said.

He said he had managed to gain entrance once to the exclusive club, but it had disappointed him.

"That club did not respect the old buildings during renovation. It enlarged the wall and even built new imitation doors to the temple," said Cui.

"There is also place selling opulent jewelry within the club," he said.

Cui said it is important to know if having restaurants in the sites is legal.　

"If it's legal, what TRB has done is a good example," he said, adding that the fuss over TRB was merely the Chinese media stirring up trouble.

The government cannot afford the renovation of all cultural heritage, so the participation of social capital is important, he noted.

"But it should guarantee the renovation and the usage of the heritage in an appropriate manner. And even during some government renovations, the projects are done poorly," said Cui, citing the Palace Museum as an example.

According to Cui, a survey in 2008 showed about 70 percent of the cultural heritage in Beijing is improperly used, and does not allow visitors, including those used by government offices.　

Zhengjuesi in Zhengjue Hutong and The Royal Ice Storeroom restaurant in Gongjian Hutong, both in Xicheng district, also house restaurants.