By Xinhua
Beijing : China plans to spend billions of dollars to build a symbolic “cultural city” in Shandong province to revive the traditional values of Confucianism.
The Chinese Shandong province was home to ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius.
Jiang Daming, governor of Shandong, has announced in Beijing that the “Chinese Cultural Symbolic City” will be built in the Ji’ning City, spanning more than 300 sq km.
The city will also include two counties Qufu, the ancestral home of Confucius, and Zoucheng, home of Mencius, and the Jiulong mountain range.
As part of the project, the homes of the two ancient philosophers will be refurbished and new buildings would be built in the Jiulong mountain range, Jiang said.
The project planning and construction commission will solicit ideas from public till Sep 1 before commencing. Details of the solicitation would available on the website www.ccsc.gov.cn.
Jiang said a consultation panel comprising 30 top artists, sinologists and architects in China, would review all design plans.
The ambitious engineering project was initiated by 69 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2001.
The cultural city aims to showcase the traditional values of peace, harmony and ingenuity advocated by Confucius and Mencius.
The National Development and Reform Commission has approved the project in Oct 2007. The project has won support from renowned architects like Pei Ieoh Ming and the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In a congratulatory note to the organisers Saturday Bloomberg said: “Today’s event heralds the start of a project that will highlight the millennia-old traditions of this rich and vibrant culture.”
“I commend…everyone involved with the Chinese Cultural Symbolic City Project for helping Chinese men, women, and children share their culture with their friends throughout the five boroughs and around the world,” he wrote.
Xu Jialu, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress said: “The city will exhibit and commemorate the long-honoured Chinese values, such as refining personal morality, cherishing peace and harmony, and filial piety. Ideally, it shall be the spiritual home for the whole nation.”
Xu told reporters, the total budget of the project would be made after the design plans are finalised. However, the total cost of the project may surpass 30 billion yuan (around $4.2 billion) estimated in 2004. Construction is expected to start before 2010.
Xu said: “The bottom line is to make the city inspiring and sustainable through generations,” he said.