MANAGERS of Beijing’s Yuanmingyuan (also known as Old Summer Palace) said Sunday that they may take legal action if a controversial replica of the palace in East China’s Zhejiang Province infringes on the original palace’s intellectual property.

    The storm surrounding the 400-hectare replica in Hengdian Township intensified earlier last week when the man in charge of its construction announced that it should be completed in 2016, with some sections opening to the public in May.

    In a written response sent to Xinhua, Yuanmingyuan’s administrative office said the complex of pavilions and gardens built for the enjoyment of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperors is “unique and cannot by replicated. The construction and development of the site should be planned by authoritative national organizations, and any replication of it should reach certain standards.”

    Hengdian is being developed as a giant film set and tourist attraction by a conglomerate — Hengdian Group. It has already found great economic success building replicas of the Forbidden City and the Tian’anmen Gate Tower there.

    The Yuanmingyuan project, however, faced fierce criticism when it was announced in 2008, with many accusing it of corrupting a site associated with patriotism. The palace is frequently referenced in patriotic education campaigns due to its historical ransacking by foreign powers.

    The announcement of the May opening has triggered much criticism online. A Sina Weibo user with the screen name “you have the look I love best” wrote, “The garden is associated with humiliation. Why bother spending so much on replicating it?”

    “Boteyang” posted, “I would prefer they spend [the money] designing a better one.”

    Others voiced support, however. “Wenwenwenwen” said on Sina Weibo, “I support it. I have been longing to see the original since I was a child.”

    Earlier last week, Xu Wenrong, a retired chairperson of Hengdian Group, told the media that the largest of its four parts would open to the public May 10.

    The four parts will replicate 95 percent of Yuanmingyuan’s architecture. The replica will cost about 30 billion yuan (US$4.85 billion), 10 billion yuan over the initial budget. While domestic and foreign investors have provided over 1 billion yuan, Hengdian Group will cover the remaining expenditures.

    Yuanmingyuan is regarded as a symbol of China’s historical humiliation at the hands of foreign powers. It was ransacked and burned by British and French troops in 1860, rebuilt by Dowager Empress Cixi and pillaged again by an allied force of troops from the United States, Russia and Britain in 1900.(Xinhua)