Pingyao can also progress while protecting the past

Tourists from China and abroad set off firecrackers to celebrate the Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival in China, at a local folk inn in the old city of Pingyao, Shanxi province. [Photo by Asianewsphoto]

Pingyao ancient city, a world cultural heritage site located in Pingyao county, Shanxi province, northern China, has recently seen a spate of illegal construction, including a Ferris wheel and excavation of basements. Song Xinchao, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said the local government authorities were overdeveloping the city and threatening the nation's heritage. Beijing News commented on Thursday:

Any undertaking should be within the law. The illegal construction in Pingyao must be corrected accordingly. The local county government has ordered all the constructions to be dismantled within one and a half months.

It it is crucial to preserve the cultural heritage as a whole, therefore, the relevant authorities shouldn't be complacent when making changes. But that doesn't mean there should be no changes. To get a bird's eye view of Pingyao, a Ferris wheel is a natural option.

When the Eiffel Tower was built in Paris, which at the time was inconsistent with the traditional cityscape of Paris, it provoked widespread opposition from the people of Paris and caused a heated debate. But nowadays it has become probably the most famous symbol of Paris.

It is the same with London Eye, which was initially built to celebrate the new millennium and was originally only meant to be used for five years. However, its popularity shows it is has already been accepted.

It is not difficult to draw the conclusion, that public opinion or expert opinion and even current laws do not necessarily represent the future, and therefore in the development of a region, the governments need to try to keep up with the times.