The Village Forbidden City

by Zhao Yue

China is home to around 900，000 villages. Despite thestaggering numbers， none rival Huaxi， which has consistently drawn media spotlight. Located in Jiangyin City， Jiangsu Province， Huaxi has been hailed as the richest village in China， and its superiority has been extensively studied. Residents inhabit plush villas， and each household is rumored to average at least six million yuan of savings in the bank， further aided by the villages free education and healthcare. Such public welfare is the envy of many modern urbanites. However， it still isnt the primary attraction drawing focus to Huaxi.

Huaxi is also famed for its structures. After successfully cloning several renowned structures in China and beyond such as the Great Wall， Tiananmen Gate， Pariss Arc de Triomphe， and the U.S. Capitol building， a new museum opened its doors to visitors in late November 2012. Consisting of 1：1 replicas of structures from the Forbidden City， including the Hall of Supreme Harmony，the Palace of Heavenly Purity， the East Flowery Gate， turrets， and red walls， the museum covers a total area of 10，000 square meters. It houses tens of thousands of displays of calligraphy， painting， carving， porcelain and jade， as well as embroidery from famous artists throughout its exhibition areas.

Huaxi is not alone. It is fairly common for local Chinese governments to recreate famous structures. From late November to early December 2012， pictures of four “Capitols” in Jiangsu — in Wuxis Nanchang and Hi-tech districts， and Jiangyin and Yixing cities， respectively — circulated online， all housing local courts. During the 2009 Guangzhou Photo Biennial， a series from young photographer Yang Tiejun attracted considerable attention because its nine photos all captured structures in China inspired by the U.S. Capitol.

Knockoff Forbidden City

Structures never have been limited to places to live， work， and rest. After humans stepped out of caves， buildings gradually evolved into a testament to the builders power， wealth， and social status. Copycat structures erected by local Chinese governments have long been criticized by the public. Behind the buildings are local governments worship of power and a less-than down-toearth attitude towards work. Public and media outcry over copycat structures is not only limited to the buildings themselves， but also directed at the unchecked power that led to their erection.

As for Huaxis knockoff Forbidden City， the roots of the massive public attention lie in the strong political undertones of the original Forbidden City. In fact， before it， knockoff Tiananmen Gates were built in Yinchuan City of Ningxia， Linfen City of Shanxi， and Zhongxian County of Chongqing.

But the copycat Forbidden City met a different media reaction than its similar predecessors constructed by other local governments. Media didnt focus on Huaxis infatuation with power， but on the philosophical implications of the existence of such a replica in a simple village cheapening what was once the symbol of supreme power in ancient China.

Interestingly， according to a spokesperson from Huaxi， the village served as a patriotic education base in Jiangsu Province. The series of replica structures， including the “Forbidden City，”were meant to enhance patriotic education and expected to become flagship products for the villages tourism.

Power and Architectural Aesthetics

Since China introduced reform and opening up， the country has been developing at a breakneck speed. Buildings， and sometimes even entire cities， have been sprouting from the ground in an instant. Some local governments began to measure urbanization and modernization by counting the rapidly rising structures. Height， the most easily quantifiable characteristic， is usually the starting point. From the 421-meter Jinmao Tower in Shanghai， 606-meter Wuhan Greenland Center， to the 660-meter Shenzhenbased Pingan International Financial Center now under con-struction， a list of tallest buildings in China is almost instantly out-of-date. After high-rise fever subsides， copying recognizable buildings remains the most desirable alternative. Replicas of structures from both China and beyond， especially those with special political connotations， have become a resume-builder for many local government officials.

However， Huaxis copycat structures differ slightly from those erected elsewhere. “Our villages use our own money，” reveals Zhou Lihua， deputy Party secretary of Huaxi. “Call it showing off if you want， but we are happy to show that residents of our village are leading an affluent life， and that farmers in China are now getting richer.” However， in the past， many poverty-stricken counties or cities caught fierce criticism for allocating a large proportion of revenue to build a knockoff structure.

In a sense， Huaxi， an ideal case-study for Chinas local governments at different levels， is eager to flaunt its wealth accrued over the process of transforming a traditional agricultural society into industrialized. Years back， Shenzhen Window of the World， a theme park featuring replicas of more than 130 renowned tourist attractions from around the globe， enabled many Chinese first to glance at the outside world. These miniatures added a fashionable touch to the 5，000-year-old country. The practice has continued since then， and Huaxi likely continues adding replicas for the same reason. However， being dubbed “the richest village in China，”certainly brings it more attention.

A decent landmark structure not only elevates a citys image， but also attracts investments and facilitates the development of commerce and tourism. Before investing large sums of money in replicas for landmark structures， local governments would think twice if they were more concerned with passing on cultural heritage and pragmatically maximizing the public benefits of public funds. As attitudes change， the attraction to knockoffs is likely to dwindle.