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Chinanews, Beijing, June 29 – The Ming Tombs in Beijing, which was listed by the United Nations as a world cultural heritage site in 2003, is suffering from serious damages.
“The landscape in the Ming Tombs is being destroyed,” said Li Dezhong, deputy director of the Ming Tombs Office.
Local farmers grow crops near the Ming Tombs and there are many residential houses, shops, and amusement grounds set up nearby. These have greatly damaged the integrity of the natural landscape in the vicinities of the Ming Tombs, Li said.
The Beijing municipal government recently urged local government in the Ming Tombs to set plans to relocate residents out of the area and tear down all buildings that damage the natural landscape of the Ming Tombs.
Located in the southern slope of the Tianshoushan Mountain in Changping district, the Ming Tombs is the resting place for thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The Yongling Tomb, the burial place for Emperor Shizong and his three empresses, is located near Yongling Village. Although it is not as big as Changling, a tomb that has been open to the public as a tourist site, Yongling is considered as one of the best preserved one of all the 13 tombs.
However, this reporter found a large dirty pigsty standing well beside the Yongling Tomb, in sharp contrast to the royal wall surrounding the tomb. When visiting the tomb, many tourists are repelled by the unpleasant smell from the pigsty.
Yongling is not an exception. In many other tombs, such as Shaoling and Jingling, many residential houses have sprung up just beside the walls of these tombs. Outside the walls, numerous tourist facilities crowd on both sides of the street, serving as an important source for boosting local economy.
Residential houses, commercial facilities and entertainment venues have destroyed the natural landscape and integrity of the Ming Tombs. Commercial activities might generate some profit for local economy in the short run, but the degradation of the cultural relics was degraded will cause local government to lose more in the long run, an expert told this reporter.
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