Designs for the Government Centre in Nanking' Sketched by!
Late Mr, Lu and Elaborated by Colleagues To put the Three People's Principles into brick and mortar is the ambitious task undertaken by two young Chinese architects who have Yocently submitted designs to Mr. Sun Fo, chairman of the Nanking City Planning Bureau, for the new government contre in the capital. "The plans are the outcome of a number of rough sketches made by the late ¥, C. Lu, the architect of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum, Mr. Luv' conceived the idea of an architectural interpretation of Dr. Sun's teaching and up to the day beters his death, while he w: ved fully aware he made rough sketches, notes, and plans—some of them on the backs of pages from outworn journals, most on any scraps of paper that were handy, His last request his friends and partners.
Messrs. P.G. Lee and T. P. Wong, was that they should complete his plans and offer them to the authorities. reason to believe that several hills were removed in order to flatten the ground, The reek which flows round part of it was artificially constructed at great labour and cost. He emphasized that modern No Foreign Advice Particular interest attaches to them since they are the work of Chinese architects unassisted by foreign advisers. In addition they differ in the most important parti-calor of the site for the new contre from that chosen by the Nanking 'City Planning Bureau. This Bureau, which has been working on a scheme for the capital which has already been outlined in the "North-China Daily News" Murphy, the American exper'. It hax selected provisionally site for the government centre outside the city walls, half a mile from the Sun Yat-sen memorial, and next week an announcement of an open competition for Chinese architests for a government centre on this ite is expected.
The design for the President's offices and the admi Chinese architects were essentially of the Mings and creetmost of China's most beautiful They were imitators since they were attempting to embody im their designs many of the beautiful features of the old Ming style. If they wore imitators. in this, they should carry out thei imitation to its logical conclusion and imitate the geniuses in the sele tion of the site. The Chinese are ftceture at which they were aiming wag beat auited to such a site, I
Mr. Murphy's Arguments Ai Argument from Athens In an interview reported Nanking paper, Mr. Murphy gave his reasons in favour of this site. Briefly he summarised his cycle sions under five main headings, it the report of his interview is corxcct. The first is the size of the Bite, allowing plenty of room for expansion. "The second is its deauty; the side of the Purple Mou tain offering a splendid panorama which, when dotted with classic As an instance he suggested rebuilding of the Acropolis at Athens.
Would any one who in tended to rebuild that classic ruin. ex to erect any other structure fulfil the same purpose, choose an site but the one selected for the old buildings? In the same way, if thes wished to keep the tradition of na tive Chinese architecture, ther should erect their new governsper centre on the site of the Chinese buildings, would show their ment contre of the Ming empire. qualities up in the best light. The AMI Chinese governnient buildings third fy the situation near the pro-in the old days were designed to yesed central parts of the new citys test on the flat.
Sewould be close toan aerodrome. the main railway station, the bus So far as protection went, the ness area, and the sources of com-hills on the three sides of the site, mavnieation. The fourth is the selected by Mr. Murphy and his ease with which it could be protect sesocintes Would prove no safeguard ed, being surrounded on three sides in modern conditions of war. Aero-cly mountains. And the fifth is that planes would bomb it just as easily St is a departure from traditional they would bomb any other place, 'Chinese styles; a departure whicl Zy he said. And regarding the break-necessary since it typifies the away from the old habits which revolutionary spirit, breaking away would be typified by the use of the frum the old ideas.' Mr. Murphy is new site, he pointed out that the: reported to have quoted the parallel capital had already been removed Snstance of the removal "of the from Peking to Nanking, and this Turkish capital from Constantinowan breakaway enough from tne old qle to Angora. ties, The revolutionary spirit was Mr, Lu and the Ming Palace There has been some disagreement among Chinese architects as to the suitability of this site. The late Mr, Lu's idea was to utilize the site of the old Ming palaces inside the ity wall, and his conception is based on the use of this site. In conversation with a representative of the "North-China Daily News," Xr. P. G. Lee, who with Mr. Won; has carried out his predecessor tohomes, replied to Mr, Murphy's arguments, The City Planning Bureau, he said, are wrong in their psych-logy From time immemorial hills have been associated in the Chinese mind with tombs, temples, monasteries, or pleasure resorts. Tt goes ayainst the grain to erect a government centre on these hills. The site of the old Ming palaces, he said, is Jarge enough and has quite suficient room for expansion in the future for all the governments needs.
The te was prepared and selected by ancient experts, There is
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.