Jin Dynasty palace site gives way to business clubs  

北京千年皇宫遗址将变会所 政府曾想接手苦无资金

荒废近20年的“青年湖公园”终于有了进一步消息。一家深圳房地产公司购得其开发权——这座近千年的皇宫遗址将由“烂尾楼”再度变身为“会所式高端商务办公区”。北京晨报记者近日获悉，考虑到青年湖公园是京城唯一一片金代皇宫遗存物，西城区政府拟斥资回购，开辟为“鱼藻池公园”，但未果。这个名为“金中都项目”的房地产项目即将开工。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) – The site of a palace in Beijing dating back to the Jin Dynasty (AD 1115-1234) is slated to become an upmarket cluster of business clubs and office buildings, the Beijing Morning Post reported.

The Taiye Pool of Jin, also known as Qingnian Lake, in Xicheng District is the only Jin palace that remains in Beijing, but a property developer from Shenzhen has plans to turn the site and surrounding areas into a high-end business district.

The Xicheng District government has tried to repurchase the development rights to the area, but the developer has refused, saying the company was capable of handling the balance between urban renewal and cultural relic protection.

According to the developer's plan, private clubs and office buildings will be built on an island in the horse-shaped lake and along its sides "for cultural exchange." An underwater exhibition center would display relics from the Liao and Jin Dynasties.

But the plan has rankled heritage protection advocates. Sun Jinghao, director of Xicheng District's cultural commission, said the exhibition center covers an area of only 3,000 square meters, compared to 48,000 square meters for the whole project. It is far from a relic conservation project, Sun added.

It would be the second property development project conducted in the area. In 1994, construction of 11 villas began on the island, but was abandoned because of funding issues. Documents revealed that the local government tried to regain the palace area during that time, but couldn't afford to pay the 200 million yuan ($32.4 million) for it.

Some historians have said that the site deserves the kind of treatment accorded to the Yuanmingyuan Garden, or Old Summer Palace.