So many ancient cities across the country have been rebuilt, why has the reconstruction of Datong Ancient City caused so much controversy?

Datong is a famous historical and cultural city and one of the nine officially recognized ancient capitals in China. Datong served as the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty. In history books, we have learned about the reforms of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty. One of the reforms was to move the capital from Datong to Luoyang. Datong later also served as Xijing of the Liao Kingdom. In the Ming Dynasty, Datong was one of the nine important towns. First, it can be said that Datong has occupied an important position in the history of our country for a long time and is a well-deserved historical city.

However, since 2008, the reconstruction project of Datong Ancient City has caused great controversy in academic circles and among the people. With so many ancient capitals across the country undergoing reconstruction, why will the reconstruction of Datong Ancient City cause such controversy? Such a big controversy?

Thirteen years ago, Datong launched the overall reconstruction project of the ancient city. To this day, the reconstruction project of the ancient city of Datong is still continuing. The tall and majestic city wall has been fully restored, and buildings such as the East Heyang Gate and the South Yongtai Gate are arranged in a row. Anyone who has visited the ancient city of Datong will be attracted by the colorful lights, which are 14 meters high and 7.24 meters long. Walking around the kilometer-long city wall, you can feel the ancient meaning of Datong for thousands of years, and feel like you are in the past life of Datong.

It can be said that the reconstruction of Datong Ancient City has achieved remarkable results now. Not only recognized by local residents, the reconstruction of the ancient city has improved their living environment, but also recognized by a considerable number of tourists. Datong's tourism revenue in 2019 reached 76.21 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 22.7%, and the total number of tourists reached 83.863 million. , a year-on-year increase of 11.1%. Datong's tourism industry is developing rapidly, and the reconstruction of Datong Ancient City is among the contributions.

However, from a cultural and historical perspective, many experts question the reconstruction method of the ancient city of Datong. Their views are as follows.

First of all, the overall reconstruction of Datong Ancient City destroyed the authenticity of the traditional pattern and cultural heritage. According to relevant survey results, during the reconstruction process of Datong Ancient City, there were a large number of demolition of authentic heritage and construction of fake antiques. Antique buildings were constructed uniformly in a short period of time and majestic buildings were quickly rebuilt one after another, forming a magnificent but The "ancient city" has no historical heritage or cultural connotation. The architectural style, volume, etc. are completely different from the original pattern and texture. It is purely a fake and authentic, confusing the public, fundamentally destroying the historical authenticity of the ancient city, and causing indispensable damage to the cultural heritage. Recovered losses.

The second point is that the reconstruction of the ancient city of Datong has destroyed the traditional life network and normal urban functions. Large-scale demolition has relocated a large number of residents in the ancient city and demolished ancient buildings in large areas, destroying the life network and social structure that have been accumulated in the ancient city for hundreds of thousands of years. It seriously violates the objective laws of urban development and the traditional culture of the ancient city. The inheritance has been artificially blocked.

The third point is that the overall reconstruction of the ancient city of Datong requires a large investment, a long return cycle, great local financial pressure, high maintenance and operation costs in the later period, and commercial risks are shared by the whole society.

However, from the perspective of many local ordinary people, the ancient city has a long history. However, the ancient city before reconstruction had low buildings, narrow streets, and poor sanitary conditions... and it has long been no longer in line with the living conditions of the 21st century. , after the reconstruction, everyone's living conditions have been greatly improved, and I wholeheartedly agree with the reconstruction of the ancient city.

There have long been conflicts between urban construction, livable life and cultural relics protection. Datong Ancient City's approach may not be the best way. It is normal to cause controversy, but one-sided criticism is also unreasonable. After all, many people do not live locally and do not know the living conditions of the ancient city before its restoration.

Do you think the Datong Ancient City reconstruction project is successful enough? In what way can it be done better?