A People's Liberation Army soldier at the ruins of the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) as he and his comrades visited the palace to commemorate the anniversary of the May Fourth Movement. (Photo : Reuters)
The Hengdian Group, the builders of the controversial replica of the Old Summer Palace in east China's Zhejiang Province, may face a possible lawsuit if it infringes on intellectual property according to the managers of the Palace, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
In a statement sent to Xinhua, the Old Summer Palace's administrative office said on April 19, Sunday, that the Palace complex made up of pavilions and gardens was built for Qing Dynasty emperors and it is unique and cannot by replicated.
The statement added that the "construction and development of the site should be planned by authoritative national organizations, and any replication of it should reach certain standards."
According to Xinhua, the controversy surrounding the 400-hectare replica in Hengdian Township intensified when the man in charge of its construction announced that the complex is expected to be completed in 2016, and some sections of it will be opened to the public starting May.
The Hengdian Group, a builder conglomerate, is developing Hengdian into a giant film set and tourist attraction and has successfully built the replicas of the Forbidden City and the Tian'anmen Gate Tower in the area.
The report said that the Old Summer Palace project, however, faced strong disapproval when the project was announced in 2008.
Many people have accused the builders of ruining the site which is often associated with patriotism, as the palace is frequently mentioned in education campaigns when foreign powers ransacked the palace.
The report said that the announcement of the May opening also triggered much criticism online.
