Chapter 1220 Ancient Paintings (1/2)

Li Du smiled and shook his head. ”This report is for their students. It doesn't have that much influence.”

Sophie listened in silence until the middle-aged man went away disappointed. She asked in surprise, ”Did I hear him right? He wants to tear this place down?”

Mr. and Mrs. Martin had been praising the charms of these ancient buildings, so Li Du did not say much about their unpopularity in his county.

Their county was a small place, not popular either as an academic subject or a tourist spot. These ancient buildings, therefore, were not a source of economic value.

The government was not keen on demolition. They decided to tear down some old houses and buildings more than a decade or two ago in order to expand the urban area, attract investment, and develop the economy.

However, they weren't the only ones doing it. Many other county governments were also doing it. Some valuable ancient buildings in big cities were torn down as well.

The practice sparked protests from many architects and knowledgeable citizens, who said the buildings were a legacy of their ancestors and should be preserved for scientific research and tourism.

Yes, some of them were very valuable indeed.

After much criticism, local governments became more conservative and stopped demolishing ancient buildings.

However, it was not just big cities and developed areas that had become conservative. Even the administrations of remote, rural towns became extra careful.

In order to avoid public criticism, they kept some ancient buildings, and as long as they did not affect the development and construction of the city, they preserved them.

However, since they did not have many tourists in the county, the ancient buildings could not be turned into profit, and people who lived there did not earn enough money to enable them to move out of their old houses. Of course, they would not be happy.

In recent years, urban development was accelerating, and the economy was getting better and better. The land value in the county town rose with each passing day.

However, the old buildings could not be demolished, as the government was not willing to tear them down and developers could not afford to do so, so it was preserved. They envied other people, who got moved into new houses after their old ones had been torn down.

They didn't care about the historical value of their houses. As ordinary people, they just wanted more money so that they could afford better homes and living conditions for their children.

When Li Du explained this to Sophie and the Martins, Mrs. Martin said, ”People need to live. Their needs often conflict with the global decisions of the government.”

Mr. Martin asked suddenly, ”You said that the markings on the bricks were put up at the time of the wall's construction to prevent the masonry from being shoddy?”

Li Du knew that Mr. Martin would probably spot this, but he did not want to talk about it first.

These bricks were burned especially to build the wall, so how did they appear as part of the house's structure?

This was another thing. In fact, many of the local old houses had been bulldozed in the past, and red brick big tiled houses were erected in their place.

Later, the government tore down part of the wall to expand the scale of the county. At that time, there was a trend to protect the old buildings, so the local people thought it was profitable to pick up the bricks that had been part of the wall and use them to rebuild the houses.

They thought that the government would develop tourism and take this opportunity to make a fortune, and the government did try, but without much success.

Therefore, the local residents had no choice but to keep living in their houses. Houses were not like Lego structures, they could not break them down just like that.