1.2 The Status of Historic Personalities’ Residenc...
Although the tangible and intangible cultural sustainability of architectural heritage is vitally significant to the development of a county, a city and society, the status of its protection and utilization in modern cities is disappointing, especially the status of a special type of architectural heritage, the historic personality’s former residence.News emergences frequently that these famous residences were demolished as will.Take Jinan as an example.There are many important historical personalities in the ancient town of Jinan.However, for various reasons, few former residences of them have been preserved in good condition.
From the establishment of Jinan County in the early Western Han Dynasty, it now has more than 2,200 years of recorded history.In 1376, Jinan became the capital of Shandong Province, which made it a major national administrative, economic, educational and transportation center.[10]There have been numerous historically significant individuals who lived in Jinan.According to the statistics produced by the City Archaeological Institute, there were 46 former residences of historical personalities in Jinan.The strong historic atmosphere combined with unique natural scenery has made Jinan into a famous national tourist attraction.However, with the rapid development of Chinese urbanization in recent years, there is a fierce conflict between the requirements of the city modernization and the preservation of architectural heritage sites (Fig.1-4).Especially traditional dwellings are frequently removed, including historic personalities’ residences.For example, the former residence of Ma Guohan was demolished in 2001.Ding Baozhen house was removed in 2002.Xin Zhujiu house was demolished in 2008, even though it was an excellent classical architectural example.Currently, there are only a few historical residences remaining, such as the well-known writer Lao She’s residence, educator Ju Simin’s residence, scholar Lu Dahuang’s residence and scholar Chen Mian’s residence, and famous painter Hei Bailong’s residences.The heritage experts and citizens who are aware of the seriousness of Jinan’s problems, have called for the protection of those famous residences.However, because of complicated property ownership, improper usage and other reasons, the buildings have been seriously damaged.
Figure 1-4.Decrepit Wall of Historic Residence in Jinan
● The Destruction of Original Surroundings
Because of a high population density and the heavy traffic throughout Jinan, the development scale of new urban area is increasingly expanding, encroaching on historical land areas.Given the pressures of urbanization, it is increasingly difficult to preserve the original surroundings of the historical residences.
● Restoration Differences Based on Ownership
Memorial residences belonging to the government or government-affiliated institutions and enterprises are usually in better condition, but sometimes improper restoration and usage methods have damaged the buildings.Those residential properties which belong to individuals often lack strict management systems and preservation consciousness.Often, original buildings have been renovated without regard to its historical significance.(https://www.daowen.com)
● Modern Lifestyle Effects the Original Pattern
People generally pursue creature comforts and modern conveniences.To adapt to this new urban lifestyle, some notable residences have been modified in form and function to accommodate these conveniences.Without proper management practices in place, the authenticity of buildings has gradually disappeared.
● Original Materials Replaced by New Materials
The development of new materials and new technology supports preservation and utilization of the historical buildings, but improper use of these new materials destroys the authenticity of the historical buildings and weakens the sense of history.
● Lack of Historic Scenes and Atmosphere
The final goal of preserving and developing the historic personalities’ residences and surroundings is to retain the spirit of the historic personalities that lived there, creating a memorial.The lack of original life scenes of the historic residences in Jinan degrades the authority and the atmosphere of history, which is detrimental to a full expression of the personalities’ spirit.
● Current Use does not Honor the Historic Memorial Residence
For those memorial residences which have been identified, the current usage, development and management are combined with irrelevant functions that do not consider the values of the historic personalities and their contributions.For those historical houses not yet identified, they are often found to be shabby, with no active management system or historically significant usage.Even the residents who are living nearby remain unaware that the famous historic persons that lived there previously.