The surviving remnants of columns and gates in Beijing's Yuanmingyuan - or Old Summer Palace - will be reinforced to prevent them from collapsing¹, Thursday's China Daily reported.

 

《中国日报》周四报道，北京圆明园远瀛观幸存的石柱与石门将被加固以防倒塌。
 

 

Foundations of the stone remnants in the ruins of Yuanying Guan (Immense Ocean Observatory) will be strengthened as part of the project, which will last until late September, the newspaper cited park sources as reporting.

 

Yuanying Guan, which covers 1,465 square meters, is a key site in the Xiyang Lou (Western Mansions) area of Yuanmingyuan. Its construction lasted from 1759 to 1783 during the reign² of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

 

"The bricks in the foundation of Yuanying Guan have disappeared, exposing the earth," Liu Xiaodong, director of planning department of the administrative³ office of Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park, was quoted as saying. "Thick vegetation is another threat."

 

Some foundations have collapsed⁴. Liu said that if this situation continues, the stone columns themselves, no longer adequately supported, will be in danger.

 

The original foundation will be restored during the reinforcement, and a new drainage system will be designed for the site to minimize the impact of rain, but the principle of minimum intervention⁵ will be followed for all cultural relics⁶, according to the newspaper.

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