(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-21 07:32

The decision to transfer management of the Qiao family mansion from a local county government in Shanxi province to a newly established company set up by the county and companies based in Chongqing and Shanghai reduced a valuable piece of the country's cultural heritage to a common product that can be disposed of at its owner's will.

The mansion, which was built and owned by the Qiao family during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and became a popular tourist destination in the 1980s after several films were shot there, was designated as a State-level cultural heritage in 1981.

It goes without saying that that designation makes the mansion State property, and so the local government can do nothing more than manage it on behalf of the entire country. Yet the mansion is being managed by a company that is headed by the local county magistrate.

The transfer agreement was signed by county authorities and the two companies from Shanghai and Chongqing. It appears that the county magistrate considers this piece of national cultural heritage as its own property and believes that it has the right to use it to make money.

It has been reported that the mansion generates more than 20 million yuan ($2.6 million) in revenue from ticket sales every year - the proverbial goose that lays golden eggs. This could be why the mansion has been at the center of so many attempted business deals involving the local government.

The county government decided it wanted to transfer management of the mansion two years ago. The deal came to naught after the provincial government intervened. Higher-level governments reportedly dispatched a team to probe the deal after staff workers at the mansion lodged complaints.

The dictates of expediency have propelled many local governments to adopt a short-sighted approach when it comes to protecting and developing cultural heritage. Rather than protecting the cultural treasures under their care, they look to squeeze out whatever short-term value.

Every now and then one of these governments attempts something so brazen that we cannot but question their motivations.

In the case of the Qiao family mansion, the government agreed to transfer management power for 10 million yuan ($1.3 million), or about half what it can expect to earn in a single year from ticket revenues. So what could be driving the people involved to go through with this deal?

(China Daily 01/21/2008 page4)