On December 1, 1984, Tianxin Pavilion, a famous historic site in Changsha, was rebuilt on the site of Tianxin Teahouse built in the 1950s. It has been 30 years since then.Yesterday, the Tianxin Pavilion Management Office invited people related to the reconstruction of Tianxin Pavilion and Hunan literature and history experts to gather in Tianxin Pavilion.As a senior engineer at the Changsha Planning and Design Institute, Yan Jiarui, 87, presided over the design of the reconstruction of Tianxin Pavilion (which started in 1983) and experienced that period of history.

Tianxin Pavilion was rebuilt on its original base

In 1981, Yan Jiarui accepted the design work of Tianxin Pavilion and completed the design in 1982. In 1987, his Tianxin Pavilion project was awarded the "Hunan Provincial Excellent Engineering Design Award".

According to Yan Jiarui, Tianxin Pavilion has been destroyed several times in history, with the most recent destruction in the "Wenxi Fire" in 1938.In 1981, Changsha Municipal Government decided to rebuild Tianxin Pavilion on the site of the original Tianxin Teahouse built in the 1950s in order to participate in the evaluation of the first batch of historical and cultural cities in China. At that time, more than 10 design proposals were received. After expert evaluation, the team led by Yan Jiarui won the competition.

Yan said his plan was based on a 1928 photo provided by an old man of the facade of the original Tianxin Pavilion and a 1956 topographic map of Changsha Tianxin Park.Although the original pavilion has been burned down in the fire, but the stone base is still there, can still be rebuilt on the original foundation, so the overall size of the tianxin pavilion has not changed."The original pavilion and the secondary pavilion are very close to each other, so we can not see the main pavilion from the side, so we still made a small change in the reconstruction, to extend the corridor connecting the main pavilion and the secondary pavilion, leaving a large empty floor behind the pavilion;At the same time, a section of the ancient city wall in Tianxin Park has been comprehensively repaired, and a number of other scenic spots and supporting facilities have been restored and built, which are more ancient and reflect the characteristics of local traditional architecture.Yan Jiarui said to reporters.

In February 1983, the reconstruction of Tianxin Pavilion began and was completed on December 1 of the following year.

To protect historic sites is to protect the city's memory

As a design expert in landscape architecture, Yan Jiarui has participated in the design of Changsha landmarks such as Wangjiang Pavilion at Juzizhou Head and Yingfeng Bridge at Martyrs Park.As one of the builders and witnesses of the development of Changsha, a famous historical and cultural city, the old man has a lot of feelings., he said, in the city of changsha city construction have changed dramatically over the years, for some of the protection of modern historical sites also done a lot of fruitful work, zhongshan road home products exhibition, taiping street, west temple ping, the order, the tide of street, cheng chien residence, catalpa YuanMin kingdom hotel and stage and so on dozens of modern historical and cultural site repair, has become a highlight of the construction of changsha city.

Yan Jiarui believes that although the development of cities and the protection of urban historical sites are a pair of contradictions, but as long as the comprehensive balance and coordination of the relationship between the parties, the contradiction can be well resolved.The historical sites and historic buildings of a city are the root of a city and the memory of its development, but with the development of modern city construction, these memories have become less and less.Therefore, every historical site in the city is precious. Urban construction should not only focus on the immediate interests, but also focus on the long-term development of the city. Only in this way can the development of the city feel heavy.

(The reconstruction design of Tianxin Pavilion in 1984.)
(Yan Jiarui, a reconstruction engineer of Tianxin Pavilion, holds a design drawing in 1983.Photo/Xiaoxiang Morning Post reporter Li Tang)