The Prince's Charities Foundation (China) opens Beijing office
Posted 19th October 2009 12:10pm
The Prince’s Charities Foundation (China) will open an office in Beijing, China today (19th October 2009).
The new Prince’s Charities office in Beijing will be home to a small team who will facilitate a series of collaborations between The Prince’s Charities Foundation, the Chinese authorities and local charitable organisations, in the areas of architecture, heritage, health and the arts.
One of the main collaborations between The Prince’s Charities Foundation and local Chinese organisations is the restoration of a Hutong neighbourhood in the area surrounding the Forbidden City. The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, Beijing Municipal Government and Tsing Hua University are partners on this project. It is hoped the resulting Design Strategy will enhance the municipality’s existing plans to preserve the built heritage and demonstrate how other Hutong neighbourhoods can develop in ways which sustain the unique characteristics of traditional Beijing. The Hutongs are the traditional alleyways and courtyard homes surrounding the Forbidden City in Beijing. They date back to the 13th Century Yuan Dynasty. In the 1940s there were nearly 4,000 hutongs, but 75% have been demolished due to industrialization and urbanization of the city.
Sir David Tang, Chair of The Prince’s Charities Foundation (China) said:
“The establishment of an office in Beijing by The Prince’s Charities Foundation (China) is a sign of affection and cooperation between like-minded people in China and Britain. It will enhance and entrench that universal language of culture that underpins the preservation of heritage and the environment. It will also provide day-to-day exchanges and interactions of ideas between our two peoples. I am very happy about this Sino-British initiative and confident that this modest beginning will lead to great things."
Sir Tom Shebbeare, Director of The Prince’s Charities Foundation said:
“We are very excited to be opening this office in Beijing, which is a culmination of discussions between The Prince’s Charities and Chinese business leaders over the past three years. We hope to use this office as a base to assist where we can in highlighting China’s architecture, heritage and unique culture.”
The opening of the office is the next phase of the on going constructive engagement between The Prince of Wales and China. In 2006, The Prince of Wales and his charities met visiting Chinese business leaders in London. The Prince also met State Councillor Tang at Clarence House and most significantly, His Excellency President Hu Jintao while the President was in London for the G20 summit in April this year.
Another project that the new office will be facilitating is a series of workshops conducted by The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and the China Academy of Arts to share knowledge of traditional Chinese motifs and designs.
In addition, The Prince’s Charities Foundation is working with film directors, Mr Zhou Bin and Andre Singer on a television documentary about the restoration of the Private Lodge of Retirement in the 18th-century Qian Long Garden complex (called “Juan Qin Zai”) in Beijing’s Forbidden City.
The film is a collaboration between The Palace Museum, The Prince’s Charities Foundation and the World Monument Fund.
