圆明园生肖的仿制品大受欢迎,专家很不高兴
The bronze zodiac animal heads looted during the second Opium War are among the most potent symbols of China's "Century of Humiliation." But now they've made a triumphant return to Beijing, albeit in the form of replicas at a local tourist attraction that is not their original home, the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan). Replicas of the infamous cultural relics can be seen at the Shilinxia scenic area in Beijing's Pinggu District. Located on a hilltop, the 12 statues are part of the area's tourist attractions that include the recently-opened world's largest glass-bottomed viewing platform. The statues follow the likeness of the looted animal heads, but take a number of artistic liberties. Unlike the originals, the Shilinxia zodiac animal statues are standing, wear non-traditional clothing, and have anthropomorphized into men and women forms. However, both versions share the same function as fountainheads. Unlike the park visitors seeing taking photos with the replicas in May of last year, not everyone is a fan. Beijing History and Folklore Society deputy director Liu Yang objects to the Old Summer Palace statue replicas because they "mislead the public." "Tourists who have never been to the Old Summer Palace will get the wrong idea and think that the animal statues look this way," said Yang, who added the replicas have the "negative effect" of "lowering the value of the originals." Yang considers the original zodiac animal heads to be "unique" and thinks they shouldn't be replicated. "We don't recommend relics associated with the Old Summer Palace to be developed as tourist attractions," said Yang. |