Treasures Rest in Peace

by May Lee

The commencement of the Ping'an Dajie (Peace Avenue) project late last year caused a flurry of activity at the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau. The widening of the traffic-plagued road will ease motorists' headaches, but will also disturb some of the capital's most important cultural treasures.

Two Tang Dynasty tombs have been found near Longjing hutong. Thieves had already broken into the tombs and left little behind, but experts are expecting more finds as work proceeds.

Three other major cultural relics have been identified under the avenue: a bridge built in the early Ming Dynasty, which is now buried between Beihai and Shichahai; the site of the imperial palace of the Yuan and Ming dynasties; and part of the Ming Dynasty city sewer system.

Besides the treasures buried underground, the widened Peace Avenue will pass several important sites on the surface. The former residence of the Qing Princess Hejing stands on the Dongdajie Di'anmen section of the avenue, and Sun Yat-sen's former home can be found at Zhang Zizhong Lu. The relics above and below ground are of considerable value to research into Beijing's history, and everyone involved in the Ping'an project will be obliged to take care to protect them as far as possible.

The widening of the road will also change the lives of many local residents. "This project does affect many households," said Shao Xiuzhen, director of the Peace Avenue Project managing office. "We have taken appropriate measures to deal with this." Some courtyards have been partially pulled down; their walls will be repaired as soon as construction work is completed. About 3,358 families have been moved out of the area into flats of similar sizes to their old homes. "Most of the families are satisfied at their new houses," said Shao.

"We are quite happy about our new home," said 23-year-old Zhou Hejia. She and her family moved to their new home in Qinghe, Haidian District. "The rooms are big, bright and new compared to our old house. Besides, we used to live in a courtyard bungalow. We always wanted to move into a high-rise."

The houses along Peace Avenue are mostly old siheyuan courtyards. Many of them are in bad condition. Some are practically falling down.

Yet the move has not been totally without difficulty. "Our new home is too far from the downtown area," said Zhou Hejia. "Now our problem is the distance to our work." Some people have bigger problems that, however. "My cousin is going to take the entrance exam for senior high school," said Zhou. "She has had to change to a school nearer to her new home, but it is not as good as her former one and the change of schools will affect her study for sure. As far as I know, happiness mixed with some worries is a common feeling among the families that have moved."

"Generally speaking, we have got quite a fair arrangement," said Zhou. "The government gave us some money to help us move out. Besides, we are making a contribution to the city. A wider road is what that area needs."