Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
2.4
Plan Changes in the New China Era
Following the progress of history and the passage of time, old cities—especially
those of intricate design—unavoidably face the necessity of continuous redevelop-
ment. This is especially true in the case of Beijing's Old City, since the single under-
lying motif of all its splendid architecture and ingenious design—namely,
symbolizing the supremacy of a medieval sovereign—stands in such sharp contrast
to the spirit of the present time. The establishment of New China represents the
beginning of a new, socialist era. As Beijing is the nation's capital in this new era,
the reconstruction of the city should refl ect the fact that the people are now the true
masters of their country.
How can this reconstruction effectively be carried out? First, it must be seen that
this is not simply a matter of engineering and technology, but also a problem con-
cerning our custodianship of a venerable historical and cultural inheritance, as well
as the challenge of creating a new socialist civilization.
All of Beijing's Old City is part of China's historical and cultural inheritance. It
is a symbol of the magnifi cent development of China's culture in imperial times. As
Rasmussen pointed out, it is a signifi cant monument to the highest achievements of
a great civilization. The new Beijing City, as the people's capital and a symbol of
the new socialist culture, can only rise from this historical foundation. But as we
assume our charge over this historical and cultural legacy, we must adhere to the
principle of maintaining a critical perspective. We can neither totally deny the leg-
acy nor totally accept it. It is important to distinguish between the “wheat” and the
“chaff”; we must accept and make full use of the wheat, while criticizing and giving
up the chaff. In this way we can follow the principles of “making the past serve the
present” and “weed through the old to bring forth the new,” in order to use our his-
torical foundation to create something new. We must note, however, that the stan-
dards for distinguishing the “wheat” from the “chaff” have changed through time.
Today, we place a high value on all things which benefi t the masses or fully express
the people's creative abilities. That which truly embodies this populist spirit should
be accepted and developed. That which does not should be criticized and given up.
Today, this principle must be applied to the reconstruction of Beijing's Old City.
Some reconstruction work affecting the layout of Beijing's Old City has already
been done since the establishment of New China. The most notable example of this
is the reconstruction of Tian-an Men Square. As noted earlier Tian-an Men was
originally fronted by a T-shaped square. This was designed to serve as an imperial
square—a place where the emperor performed important ceremonies (Fig.
2.6
). On
its east, west, and south sides were red walls which totally shut off public access. It
was thus a great obstacle to east-west communications within the city. Viewed from
the south end of this imperial square, the Tian-an Men loomed to the north as a lofty,
ornate palace built upon a red platform. In old times, this sight served to create an
impression of grandeur and solemnity. In 1911, after the overthrow of the last
dynasty, Tian-an Men Square was opened and people were allowed to pass through,
but the red walls were kept as before. On October 1, 1949, the declaration of the
