GUANGZHOU - The site of the opening and closing ceremony of the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games will not be torn down, the city has decided after soliciting the public's and city planners' opinions, local authorities said.

The decision follows heated local debate about whether the building and spectator stands at Haixinsha Square should be preserved or demolished after a leading planner revealed that the building was intended as a temporary project designed only to host the Asian Games last year.

Yuan Qifeng, a professor of urban planning at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, recently said on his micro blog that the building was not included in an earlier urban plan.

The plan, which was approved by the local government in 2003, was a complete design of Zhujiang New Town in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.

"It will be an illegal building if it is not torn down after the games. Otherwise, the government should amend the original plan to give it legal status," Yuan said in a recent interview with China Daily.

Yuan posted an original planning map on his micro blog, which indicates that the site was planned as a recreational park.

In response to Yuan's comments, the local planning authority solicited public opinions, and it held a regular planning meeting last week at which all 19 planners supported redesignating Haixinsha Square as a long-term building.

Meanwhile, more than 60 percent of the 1,887 respondents to an online survey on the local information portal dayoo.com said the square should not be torn down.

"It was actually a temporary project. But now we will revise the original plan," said Ye Haojun, spokesman for the Guangzhou planning bureau, adding that no more structures will be built in the square.

A source with the New Axis Company, which is in charge of the square's maintenance and operation, said on condition of anonymity that the square has a service life of 70 years.

Haixinsha Square, formerly the site of a warehouse, was built by the New Axis Company with an investment of up to 415 million yuan ($64 million), according to city financial authorities.

"It's ridiculous to tear down such a building that cost a huge investment. What's more, it has become an important part of the legacy of the Asian Games, forming a marvelous skyline with the Huacheng Square and the Guangzhou Tower along the city's new urban axis," said Huang Liping, a 35-year-old Guangzhou resident.

Chen Weiya, chief director of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, also said the square should not be demolished. It reminds local people of the games, he explained.

"The local government should attach more importance to its comprehensive use after the games instead of discussing whether it is illegal or collecting fees for maintenance," Chen said.

China Daily

(China Daily 08/06/2011 page4)