Is it appropriate for Chiang Ching-kuo's former residence to become a coffee shop and celebrity former residence for commercial use?

The former residence of Chiang Ching-kuo, located on the bank of the West Lake in Hangzhou, has attracted attention because it may be converted into a cafe. Photo taken by Yan Hongfeng

A few days ago, a public announcement appeared on the official website of the Management Committee of the West Lake Scenic spot in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, causing a heated discussion in the society. The focus of the dispute is that the site of the new project of the popular Cafe mentioned in the announcement is actually a cultural relic protection site in Hangzhou-Jiang Jingguo's old home. In Hangzhou, a city with many cultural and historical sites, the commercial use of former homes of celebrities has undoubtedly attracted attention again. What does the commercialization of former homes of celebrities mean to the protection of cultural relics?

The old house of celebrities has become a "quasi-cafe"?

On January 27, the Management Committee of the West Lake Scenic spot issued a notice on its website on the acceptance of the administrative license for the new project of Hangzhou Shihan Road Restaurant of Zhejiang McDonald's Restaurant and Food Co., Ltd. This project, which is going to run a popular cafe, was originally commonplace, but because it was located in Chiang Ching-kuo's former residence, it caused thousands of waves with one stone, and there was a lot of talk about it, with both opposition and support.

Citizen Wang Congjian believes: "if you appreciate the West Lake, you should adopt a slow attitude and open a new cafe by the lake, so that people who come to play can have a rest and enjoy the good scenery at the same time. Moreover, Chiang Ching-kuo's old house has never been open to the public, but now the opening of a cafe can show people the true face of this small house. "

"Commercial restaurants are opened in the former homes of celebrities, which is sure to reduce points." Citizen Jiang Xiaohong does not approve of the commercial use of former homes of celebrities. "there are no less than one or two McDonald's by the West Lake, so we should not lose any former homes of celebrities," she said. "

Other respondents expressed concern about the safety of their former home as food and beverage. Generally speaking, people talk about the incident more because of the "former residence of celebrities" and "cultural security unit", but on the other hand, the former residence of Chiang Ching-kuo, as a "party", is not well-known among tourists, and even some Hangzhou locals do not know it very well.

This former residence of Jiang Jingguo in Hangzhou was built in the 1930s, with black tiles and green bricks, belonging to a Western-style two-story brick-and-wood villa. The building consists of two north and south buildings, and there is an overpass corridor on the main building that connects with the north side building. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, Chiang Ching-kuo lived here with his wife Jiang Fangliang and his children. In 2003, Hangzhou Garden and Cultural relics Bureau listed it as a cultural protection unit. Today, the stone walls outside the houses are covered with luxuriant green vines, fruit trees are planted in the yard, and fruit hanging from branches can be seen outside the walls.

The locked door is facing the broken Bridge, a famous scenic spot in the West Lake. because it has not been opened to the public, compared with the hustle and bustle of the broken bridge, Chiang Ching-kuo's old house is very deserted. Occasionally visitors will stop to take a look at the introduction of the old residence when they see the bronze medal of "Chiang Ching-kuo's former residence."

Beishan Street, where the former residence is located, is a historical and cultural district, which houses many cultural relics, such as Yue Temple, Wusong Tomb, Su Xiaoxiao Tomb, the former site of the Industrial Hall of the West Expo, the former site of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway Bureau, and Huang Binhong's former residence.

Is the commercial use of the former residence legal?

How did Chiang Ching-kuo's former residence become a "quasi-coffee shop"? The current "owner" of the former residence is the Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Organ Affairs. It is understood that the building has been leased by an enterprise all the year round as a clubhouse for receiving guests and is not open to the public. According to the analysis of people familiar with the matter, it was the second landlord who signed a long-term lease who rented the house to McDonald's.

On January 29, the reporter contacted the Hangzhou Garden and Cultural relics Bureau for an interview. a staff member of the propaganda office received the reporter, who said that the Garden and Cultural relics Bureau had previously rejected interview requests from many media, and that the handling of matters related to Jiang Jingguo's former residence was handled in strict accordance with the Cultural relics Law.

In fact, the former homes of celebrities in many cities are often located in downtown areas, and the commercial value is very desirable. The commercial use of former homes of celebrities has also occurred in Zhejiang in recent years. What are the provisions of the Cultural relics Law?

At present, Zhejiang does not have accurate statistics on the number of former houses of celebrities in the province. The main way to protect the former homes of celebrities is to bring them into cultural relics protection units to protect them. To define, with reference to the Cultural relics Protection Law of the people's Republic of China, "important modern historical sites, objects and representative buildings related to major historical events, revolutionary movements or famous figures and of great commemorative, educational or historical value" belong to cultural relics and shall be protected by the State.

The Cultural relics Law does not clearly stipulate that cultural relics protection units cannot be used for commercial use. However, it needs to be submitted for approval as a commercial use, and the changes of management units and residents caused by rental must be submitted to the relevant departments for approval. If decoration is needed, the decoration plan should be submitted to the relevant management departments, which can be carried out only after demonstration and approval.

According to the regulations, for memorial buildings or ancient buildings owned by the state that have been approved as cultural relics protection units, in addition to museums, vaults or places for sightseeing, municipal cultural relics protection units for other purposes shall be approved and promulgated by the cultural relics administration department of the people's government of the people's government with the consent of the cultural relics administration department at the next higher level. It shall be submitted to the people's government of the cultural relics protection unit for approval.

If non-state-owned immovable cultural relics are being transferred, mortgaged or changed, they shall be reported to the corresponding department of cultural relics administration for the record according to their levels; if they are funded by the local people's government to help with the repair, they shall also be submitted to the corresponding department of cultural relics administration for approval. The use of immovable cultural relics must abide by the principle of not changing the original state of cultural relics, be responsible for protecting the safety of buildings and their ancillary cultural relics, and shall not damage, rebuild, add or dismantle immovable cultural relics.

There are also strict regulations on carrying out construction projects in the construction control zone of cultural relics protection units. in addition to not destroying the historical features of cultural relics protection units, the engineering design plan should also be in accordance with the level of cultural relics protection units, with the consent of the corresponding cultural relics administrative department, it shall be submitted to the urban and rural construction planning department for approval.

As of February 1, before the press release, the project is still in the publicity period.

Does commercial use run counter to cultural relics protection?

Over the past decade, the number of former houses of celebrities in Hangzhou has been increasing, large and small former homes of celebrities scattered in various streets, some of which are open to visitors as cultural celebrity galleries.

The ownership of the former residence of celebrities is relatively complex, both state-owned and private, and there are some cases where the ownership is unclear. According to the different ownership, there are also differences in daily protection and management. According to the regulations of who uses who is responsible, no matter who uses the former residence, all the maintenance and maintenance work in the former residence will be undertaken by him. As the management of some cultural security units is mainly implemented by local governments, the imbalance of economic development power will also make cultural security units encounter some problems in financial security, management and equipment.

Zhong Xiangping, an expert on the study of old houses in Hangzhou, said in a previous interview with the media that it was not impossible for Jiang Jingguo to find another way to open a McDonald's cafe in his old house. On the basis of not destroying historical buildings and retaining the original style, idle historical buildings, if businesses move in, can give full play to their economic and social value.

Talking about the protection of celebrities' former homes, Li Xinfang, director of the Cultural relics Protection and Archaeology Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Cultural relics, said: "the question of whether commercial use will have an impact on the integrity of cultural relics cannot be generalized. But at least the commercial behavior itself cannot cause damage to the cultural relics. We also suggest that these immovable cultural relics can maintain their original ecological functions as far as possible and give full play to their public welfare attributes. "

Many industry experts say that commercial development is contrary to the protection of cultural relics, or is it another way of protection? The key lies in how to deal with the relationship between protection and utilization, to find a balance between protection and utilization, to prevent excessive commercial development, to prevent endangering the safety of former homes, so that cultural relics can be better passed on to the next generation.