The 38 Billion Yuan Demolition and Reconstruction of Epang Palace     Image from the Internet

　　The uproar caused by the news of a 38 billion yuan investment to rebuild Epang Palace cannot be calmed in a short time.

　　In mid-September, in Fengdong New Town, Xixian New Area, Xi'an City. A local villager told the reporter: "The original one (Epang Palace Scenic Area) was demolished, costing 200 million yuan; now they say they will spend over 30 billion yuan to rebuild it. Who knows what's going on!"

　　Previously, the Management Committee of Fengdong New Town, Xixian New Area, Shaanxi Province (hereinafter referred to as the Management Committee) had publicly responded: "The claim that Xi'an will spend 38 billion yuan to rebuild Epang Palace is a media misreading."

　　The reporter's on-site investigation found that what attracted widespread public attention was a cooperation agreement signed between the Management Committee and Beijing Capital Group, with a planned investment of 38 billion yuan. Before that, the Epang Palace Scenic Area project, which initially invested 200 million yuan, was finally demolished after 13 years of operation. Regarding the demolition and reconstruction, doubts have been continuous: some believe it is a game of "burning money," a large-scale redundant construction under the same theme; others think it is an attempt to raise surrounding land prices by developing cultural relics.

　　Why has a scenic area built on the concept of cultural heritage fallen into such a dilemma? And how many cultural heritage scenic areas are staging stories like that of Epang Palace? To this end, after two months of interviews, the reporter attempts to restore the twists and turns of an unfinished cultural scenic area.

　　The Past and Present of Epang Palace

　　Epang Palace, known as the "Number One Palace under Heaven," has a widely circulated poignant story.

　　Legend has it that Emperor Qin Shi Huang, to commemorate a woman from the common folk named Epang whom he deeply loved, spared no huge manpower and material resources to build an extremely luxurious Epang Palace. The famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu's masterpiece "Ode to Epang Palace" also describes the former prosperity and extravagance of Epang Palace.

　　The Qin Epang Palace ruins are located about 5 kilometers from the western Third Ring Road of Xi'an, at the urban-rural fringe. As early as 1961, it became one of China's first batch of key cultural relics protection units. In 1992, after on-site investigation by UNESCO, it was confirmed that the Epang Palace ruins rank first among palace-type buildings in the world and were defined as a world wonder.

　　In 1995, against the background of promoting cultural prosperity and development, the story of Epang Palace inspired local government and developers. Thus, a cultural real estate development project plan for Epang Palace was placed on the desk of Wen Sheng (pseudonym), head of the Xi'an Foreign Economic and Trade Bureau.

　　"I remember the company developing this project was called Jinxiu Epang Palace (Xi'an) Co., Ltd. It was an investment promotion project, with Hong Kong capital introduced at the time. The land was rented, and I was responsible for the approval." When the reporter found Wen Sheng, who no longer works in Xi'an, he said he was also following the latest progress of the project: "I remember after the approval, I was worried it couldn't be built. The project level was too low, I remember clearly. It was an investment project reported by the Weiyang District Government, and the district government had no planning authority. Moreover, neither shareholder was a large or well-known enterprise, so the success rate of investment projects couldn't be guaranteed, as not every one is implemented. So I worried it couldn't be built. Later, indeed, the Hong Kong capital did not arrive; it seems it was built with domestic capital."

　　Data shows that the Qin Epang Palace Scenic Area, covering more than 680 mu, started construction in 1995 and officially opened to tourists in 2000.

　　According to Wen Sheng, the Epang Palace built with an investment of 200 million yuan had a rough fate from the day it was born. Due to the lack of supporting facilities, it became a lonely imitation ancient building, and business was always poor. Epang Palace is located in the western suburbs of Xi'an, and the western route has few tourists. In addition, as an artificial attraction, travel agencies did not arrange it, locals did not go, and there were only a small number of individual tourists. Later, market promotion was attempted with many advertisements, but still no improvement.

　　"Many people should still remember that there was an advertisement on TV at that time: 'Terracotta Warriors in the east, Epang Palace in the west.'" Wen Sheng recalled to the reporter.

　　By 2011, after more than ten years of operation, the Epang Palace Scenic Area was unable to make ends meet. That year, Xixian New Area was established between Xi'an and Xianyang cities, and the original Epang Palace Scenic Area was located in Fengdong New Town of Xixian New Area. According to Li Jun, executive deputy director of the Epang Palace Ruins Protection Management Office, after the establishment of Fengdong New Town, the person in charge of the scenic area proposed to demolish it, so that they would not have to pay annual rent and spend money on repairs and maintenance.

　　In 2013, the Epang Palace Scenic Area was demolished.