[2] "Jingzhou Carelessly Lost Lord Guan," who is responsible for the massive illegal construction?
[4] Compiled from: Red Star News
Case review
On October 8, 2020, the giant Guan Yu statue in Jingzhou was reported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and ordered to be rectified. The notice stated that the giant Guan Yu statue, built within the historic urban area of the ancient city in Jingzhou, Hubei Province, with a height of 57.3 meters, violated the relevant provisions of the Jingzhou Ancient City Protection Regulations, damaging the ancient city’s appearance and historical context.
According to reports, construction of the Guanyi Park, where the Guan Yu statue is located, began in 2014. The infrastructure portion was completed and opened for trial operation in 2016, but it never passed fire safety acceptance inspection. Multiple official documents indicate that the aforementioned Guan Yu statue was “built without planning permission” and constitutes “illegal construction.”
According to CCTV’s “Focus Report,” the giant Guan Yu statue cost 172.9 million yuan. Despite the project lacking approval, the relevant authorities remained indifferent throughout the statue’s two-year construction period.
On November 17, 2020, Jingzhou City established a leading group and a dedicated task force to actively advance project rectification and scientifically formulate a relocation plan.
Recently, the dismantling and relocation of the giant Guan Yu statue in Jingzhou has commenced, and the head of the statue has already been removed. It is understood that in the Guan Yu statue demolition project, the total investment for reassembling it at a different location after dismantling is 40 million yuan, under the project name “Dismantling and Off-site Reassembly of the Statue’s Copper Sheets,” while the total investment for the relocation project is 155 million yuan.
The "Jingzhou Ancient City Protection Ordinance"
[1] Article 24
[2] The municipal people's government shall strictly protect the historical features, traditional layout, and natural environment of the ancient city.
[3] No new or expanded industrial enterprises shall be built within the ancient city; other new construction, renovation, or expansion projects shall conform to the historical features and protection plan of the ancient city.
[4] Construction activities within the ancient city shall comply with the following height restrictions:
[5] (1) No other construction projects shall be carried out within the protected area of the Jingzhou city wall. However, if other construction projects are necessary under special circumstances, the eaves height of the buildings shall be controlled below six meters;
[6] (2) In the first-class construction control zone of the Jingzhou city wall, the eaves height of buildings shall be controlled below twelve meters.
(III) Within the Class II construction control zone of the Jingzhou city wall, the eaves height of buildings inside the wall shall be controlled below 15 meters, while the eaves height of buildings outside the wall shall be controlled below 24 meters.
The ancient city historical and cultural districts, historic buildings, and cultural heritage protection units at all levels shall, under the above height control, also comply with their respective protection scopes and construction control requirements.
Buildings that do not meet the above regulations shall be gradually reduced in height, renovated, or demolished in accordance with the law. Specific measures shall be formulated by the municipal government.
[1] The author's perspective
Previously, some suggested that although the Guan Yu statue is an illegal structure, since it has already been built at great cost, it might as well be retained with only a fine imposed—this would add a tourist attraction and avoid the trouble of relocation. While this approach has some benefits, the drawbacks are greater. Would people then assume that illegal structures, once built, cannot be demolished and can simply be resolved by paying a fine? Such a shortcut-oriented approach is absolutely unacceptable; otherwise, in the long run, paying money to solve all problems would lead to increasing social chaos.
Returning to this matter, the giant Guan Yu statue may appear mighty and imposing, but after all, it does not comply with regulations. So aren't the 170 million yuan construction cost and the 155 million yuan relocation fee a waste? The root problem of the Guan Yu statue certainly lies with the developer, but the statue was not built in a day. During the construction process that lasted several years, did government departments never notice it? If they did see it, was it disregard for laws and regulations, or were they blinded by some immediate economic interests? In ancient times, Guan Yu lost Jingzhou through carelessness; today, Jingzhou loses Guan Yu through carelessness! Although this is a joke, it is not something people can laugh at. It is not just that these 300 million yuan were wasted; if similar incidents happen in the future, who should pay the price then?
