Selling historic buildings to better protect them
The Beijing municipal government recently published a revised draft of the city’s historic and cultural protection regulations, soliciting public opinion on whether ownership of historic buildings could be transferred or the premises rented out.
The draft puts forward new requirements for the preservation of historic and cultural blocks in Beijing, including expanding the scope for protecting objects and establishing a pre-protection mechanism to ensure no agency or individual can damage or dismantle pre-protected objects. Among the new features is the clause for transferring ownership or renting out historic buildings, further broadening the “imagination horizon” for protecting historic buildings.
The idea of renting out or selling historic places seems to be in conflict with the idea of protecting them, but it is a common practice worldwide for historic buildings to be reasonably utilized. It is a wellknown fact that many historic buildings dating back hundreds or even thousands of years in Europe are still being used and renovated, instead of being closed to the public for protection.
Even in China, some famous ancient towns and buildings are being used for business, rather than just for display. Those historic buildings that are utilized this way are actually preserved better.
Experts said that ancient buildings should not be closed for a long period of time for protection, but instead should be used and repaired regularly to keep them in a good condition.
On the one hand, only after being reasonably used can any defects in ancient buildings be discovered. Moreover, only through proper utilization, can their protection obtain more resource guarantees. On the other hand, the historic and cultural value of historic buildings can be more fully reflected in their reasonable utilization and “connection” with reality, and release stronger vitality.
In the final analysis, to allow the transfer and leasing out is to give historic buildings better protection and rational use. In reality, the property rights of some historic buildings belong to individuals, leading to their limited protection because of the lack of sufficient resources.
Allowing historic buildings to be transferred or leased out can ensure greater flexibility for their protection and utilization, and maximize their adaptation to the realistic needs. This is especially true for Beijing, a city with a 3,000year-old architectural history and home to many ancient structures.
Of course, allowing for the transfer and leasing out of historic buildings should be based on scientific norms and regulations. For example, there should be clear regulations on which historic buildings can be sold and which ones rented out, and how the responsibility for their preservation is to be shared once they are sold or rented out.