5.4.1 Lack of Legislation
The situation concerning historic personalities’ residences are complicated: some of these people had multiple residences in different cities; some former residences have been successively lived in by many famous people; and the original condition of some residences has been changed from time to time.What are the selection criteria for these historic persons’ residences? What kind of historical person’s home should be protected? What are the principles for the preservation, usage and management for these special buildings? All these questions should be answered clearly based on the corresponding legislation.
Figure 5-18.The Destruction of Educator Xin Zhujiu’ Residences in Jinan(https://www.daowen.com)
Although historic personality’s residence has been protected in the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics, the characteristics of this kind of residences is every different from other historic architecture, which need clear identification criteria, special protection principles and developing methods.In Jinan, there are 8 famous former residences listed as provincial-level cultural heritage sites, and 2 are listed as municipal-level sites.However, as of now, the laws and regulations on the protection and management of historic personalities’ former residences in Jinan have not been clearly formulated, and there is no full-time agency responsible for the protection and management of these kind of residences.When urban planning and construction conflict with them, there are no serious legal responsibility when such cultural relics be damaged.This makes the former residences easily remodeled or demolished.For example, Zhou Yongnian’s residence, Ding Baozhen’s residence, Xin zhujiu’s residence (Fig.5-18) were successively demolished.Even the surrounding destruction of remained historic residences (Fig.5-19) will cause irreparable loss of the city culture and historic significant.
Figure 5-19.The Destruction of the Surrounding around a Historic Personalities’ Residence