The Old Summer Palace, once known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens", was once a unique royal garden in the world. Unfortunately, in 1860, the invasion of the British and French forces caused the world's first garden to be persecuted.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the controversy over whether to rebuild the Old Summer Palace has not stopped. Some deputies to the National People's Congress proposed to rebuild, and some suggested that the museum should be restored and built in equal proportions on the site.
But many more want to preserve the status quo, not only to waste money and money, but also to preserve this humiliating history to inspire future generations.
However, in the midst of such controversy, an 80-year-old man in Zhejiang announced in a high-profile manner that he would spend 30 billion yuan to rebuild the Old Summer Palace!
As soon as this news came out, it immediately caused an uproar in society, and not only the ordinary people reacted strongly, but even experts and scholars expressed their opposition one after another.
Why is there such a strong resistance? What happened to the rebuilt Old Summer Palace?
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The reconstruction of the Old Summer Palace has caused controversy
Xu Wenrong's plan to rebuild the Old Summer Palace dates back to 2004, when he first came up with the idea of replicating the Old Summer Palace. However, as soon as this proposal was put forward, it met with strong opposition from all walks of life and doubts from experts and scholars.
Some people accuse Xu Wenrong of this move as nothing more than hype, in order to realize his "emperor dream"; There are also suspicions that this is a means of enclosing land for a low price.
Although Xu Wenrong said that the funds came from the Zhejiang Huaxia Cultural Development Foundation, some people still worried that this could be in the name of the project to attract donations and enrich their own pockets.
There are also some voices who believe that instead of spending so much money to rebuild the Old Summer Palace, it is better to build more hope primary schools to benefit more people in need.
In the face of obstacles, Xu Wenrong's reconstruction plan has been struggling. The project application has been rejected many times, and the proposal has undergone several revisions.
The original start date was repeatedly postponed, and even the name of the project had to be adjusted, changing from "Old Summer Palace" to "New Yuan Ming Palace". The government also gave clear instructions: "It can be imitated, but it cannot be exactly the same."
In the face of all kinds of doubts and difficulties, Xu Wenrong always adhered to his original intention. He repeatedly emphasized that the purpose of rebuilding the Old Summer Palace is to promote Chinese culture, let the world feel the glory of China, and also to witness the style of modern China.
After many difficulties, in February 2008, Xu Wenrong finally got his wish and officially announced his plan to rebuild the Old Summer Palace, which once again attracted widespread attention from all walks of life.
This ambitious project, with a planned investment of 30 billion yuan, is remarkable in scale.
In order to ensure the professionalism and accuracy of the project, Xu Wenrong has assembled a team of expert consultants composed of more than 100 people. Most of these experts and scholars are long-term experts and scholars who have been committed to the study of the Old Summer Palace for a long time, and their participation provides a strong guarantee for the historical accuracy of the project.
In 2012, after years of preparation and planning, the construction of the New Yuan Ming Palace project finally began.
The project team adopted an innovative approach of "replicating cultural relics + high-tech", aiming to reproduce the ancient garden buildings at a 1:1 scale, while incorporating modern technological elements, in order to enhance the visitor experience while preserving the historical style.
The whole construction process is extremely rigorous and meticulous. From the overall layout of the courtyard wall to the brick and tile of the roof, every detail strives to be consistent with the original appearance.
This extreme pursuit of detail reflects the project team's respect for historical and cultural heritage and insistence on craftsmanship.
After four years of arduous construction, the New Yuan Ming Palace was finally completed and fully opened in 2016.
The newly built garden has successfully restored much of the essence of Beijing's Old Summer Palace, giving visitors a glimpse of what was once the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens".
What is the strong background of this old man who can spend 30 billion in one fell swoop?
Single-handedly created Hengdian Group
Xu Wenrong, he is the founder of the famous Hengdian Group, born in 1935, he was originally just an ordinary farmer, but with his wisdom and diligence, he successfully built a huge business empire.
The turning point in Mr. Xu's career came when he was 40 years old, when he took over a state-owned silk factory that was on the verge of collapse. With his keen business acumen and perseverance, he successfully turned the loss-making factory into a profit and accumulated the first pot of gold in his life.
For Xu Wenrong, however, this is just the beginning. He chose to start a business again, starting the legendary story of Hengdian Group.
The birth of Hengdian Film and Television City originated from a chance opportunity. At that time, a film crew needed a 19th-century street scene from Guangzhou as a backdrop.
Xu Wenrong keenly seized this business opportunity and decided to build a professional film and television shooting base. This decision not only changed the fate of Hengdian, but also opened up a new path for the development of China's film and television industry.
During the construction process, Xu Wenrong showed an amazing "Hengdian speed". In order to build Guangzhou Street, which has more than 160 buildings in three months, he contacted 120 engineering teams at the same time, and rushed to work 24 hours a day.
This vigorous and resolute style has become the key to the rapid development of Hengdian Film and Television City.
The success of Hengdian Film and Television City lies in its versatility. It is not only a reusable film and television shooting location, but also a tourist attraction open to the public.
This innovative business model enables Hengdian Film and Television City to gain revenue in different fields and achieve sustainable development.
With the passage of time, Hengdian Film and Television City gradually grew into the "Oriental Hollywood" and became a giant in the domestic cultural industry.
Under the leadership of Xu Wenrong, Hengdian Group has also developed into a large enterprise group with total assets of more than 90 billion yuan, of which Hengdian Film and Television City is only a part of the group's many businesses.
The development process of Hengdian Film and Television City is legendary. In 1997, for "Jing Ke Assassinating the King of Qin" directed by Chen Kaige, Hengdian built the magnificent Qin Palace in only 6 months.
This high efficiency moved Chen Kaige to tears, and also won a good reputation for Hengdian.
Since then, Hengdian Film and Television City has begun to develop rapidly. Today, it has grown into a huge film and television base with more than 100 studios and more than 2,000 filming locations.
From Hong Kong Street to the Riverside Scene of the Qingming Festival, from the Ming and Qing Dynasty palaces to the modern city, Hengdian can meet the shooting needs of almost all kinds of film and television works. This diversity and comprehensiveness have made Hengdian the preferred filming location for many directors and producers.
The success of Hengdian Film and Television City is not accidental. In 2000, Hengdian made a bold decision: free rent.
This move greatly reduced the filming cost of the crew and attracted more film and television projects to shoot here. The advantage of low cost makes Hengdian not only suitable for large-scale production, but also an ideal choice for small- and medium-cost production.
In addition to cost advantages, Hengdian also pays attention to building perfect supporting facilities. Various star-rated hotels provide a comfortable accommodation environment for the crew, special food streets meet the needs of different tastes, and detailed services such as express stations and ticket booking and charter services further enhance the filming experience.
These intimate services make Hengdian not only a filming base, but also a small town built for film and television workers.
The success of Hengdian Film and Television City is not limited to the film and television industry itself, it has also become an important engine for the local economic development. The arrival of a large number of crews stimulated catering consumption and led to the prosperity of the private housing rental business.
At the same time, the film and television city itself has become a popular tourist attraction, attracting many tourists and significantly increasing the local tourism GDP.
What is the current status of the New Yuan Ming Palace built in Hengdian?
The status quo of the New Yuan Ming Palace
Hengdian Yuanmingyuan New Garden, covering an area of more than 7,000 acres, is composed of four parts: the New Yuanmingyuan, the New Changchun Garden, the New Qichun Garden and the New Changchun Garden, each part of which has carefully restored the essence of the original Yuanmingyuan.
This kind of respect and restoration of history has made the New Yuan Ming Palace successfully ranked among the national 5A-level scenic spots, and has become a tourist resort for domestic and foreign tourists.
However, the New Yuan Ming Palace is not satisfied with a simple historical restoration. It integrates the film and television characteristics of Hengdian and creates a new model scenic spot of "culture + film and television + technology".
Among them, the laser water show "Dream Yuanming" is a typical representative, which perfectly combines advanced scientific and technological means with traditional cultural elements to bring a shocking visual experience to tourists.
In addition, a number of high-tech amusement projects have been introduced in the park to further enrich the experience of visitors.
One of the most eye-catching projects of the New Old Summer Palace is the live performance of "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace". With its gorgeous sets, dazzling lighting and dedicated performances by the actors, this show highly restores this harrowing history.
While enjoying the wonderful performances, the audience can also deeply feel the vicissitudes of history and the humiliation of the nation. The success of this performance has made the New Yuan Ming Palace considered a leader among the 5A-level scenic spots.
The success of the New Yuan Ming Palace is largely due to Hengdian's strong film resources and professional performance team.
As the "Hollywood of the East", Hengdian has the most powerful film resources in China, which provides a solid talent base and technical support for various performances and activities in the New Old Summer Palace.
Professional actors, directors and technicians ensure that every show and event in the park is of a high standard.
Resources
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