Police probe historic dwelling demolition

Police have started an investigation into the demolition of a former residence of the late architects Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin in Dongcheng district.

Those who ordered the demolition have been held responsible, according to Beijing cultural heritage administration officials Tuesday.

Beijing Fuheng Real Estate with China Resource Land, the developer overseeing the demolition, excused the destruction by claiming it was to "make repairs," said Kong Fanzhi, head of the Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage. Kong was speaking at a meeting Tuesday with members of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

The police investigation is underway, and the developer will receive punishment according to the law, the Beijing News quoted Kong as saying yesterday.

The illegal demolition was the most serious relic demolition case in Beijing in recent years, Kong said.

The former residence of the couple at Beizongbu Hutong was partly demolished in 2009, and later halted by the municipal commission of urban planning after public criticism. But the developer restarted the demolition, without approval from the government, and currently the house is in ruins.

The historic home was listed as an "immovable relic" and is protected by law, according to a statement from the commission on March 31, 2011. China Resources Land was supposed to preserve and repair Liang and Lin's former residence according to law and regulations and under the supervision of the authorities, the statement said.

Kong, the district cultural commission and China Resources Land were unavailable for comment yesterday. Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau did not respond on this matter either.

Beijing should stop tearing down courtyard houses and halt skyscraper construction, said Kong. The city's cultural heritage authorities are working on more preservation plans, including establishing signs for protected sites, and recruiting 1,000 relic preservation supervisors citywide, the report said.

"It's good to see some development on this case with the police investigating," said He Shuzhong, founder of Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center.

"This is a public cultural case and people deserve to know about the details, but the government is not revealing enough sources officially," He said. The government should inform the public of updates, such as who is responsible for the illegal demolition and what is their punishment according to the law, he remarked.