LI SHIGONG

Yueyang Tower, located by Dongting Lake in the city of Yueyang, central China's Hunan Province, is a time-honored scenic spot, well known across the nation. Its fame is particularly attributed to a renowned Song Dynasty poet and intellectual, Fan Zhongyan (989-1052), who wrote about it in a work that has been cherished ever since as an invaluable masterpiece.

Recently, the local government announced plans to outsource Yueyang Tower by transferring the right to operate the scenic spot to a commercial entity. City authorities say the local tourism sector is short of capital and managerial talent and is being restrained by rigid mechanisms, so they need to bring in investors to help upgrade the sector. Besides, higher income derived from better operations will make it possible for the tower to be kept in good condition.

The news has sparked heated debate not only locally, but also across the nation. Despite local authorities' upbeat rhetoric, opponents worry that a business which focuses on maximizing profit will damage the tower instead of protecting it. Furthermore, some people say it's unacceptable for such a historical spot to be placed in the hands of a private business. Others, however, are in favor of this approach, saying it's worth trying.

An innovative model

Bi Xiaozhe (www.gmw.cn): There are different reasons for scenic spots being run by commercial operators. For instance, local governments are not good at operating them and have suffered big losses. The authorities hope to develop these scenic spots into attractive projects. Also, in some places, due to a lack of advanced managerial and market experience, excellent tourism resources are left to rot, and the involvement of commercial operators can help to tap into the potential of these resources.

Of course, sometimes local governments may not calculate the results, but just follow others or fashion by outsourcing local scenic spots to commercial operators. Indeed, in many cases, commercial operators hope to gain maximum profits within a minimum period of time. They tend to pay little attention to the repair and maintenance of basic infrastructure in scenic areas, but instead overuse the aging facilities. As a result, rather than making big money, local governments may have to face up to severely damaged scenic spots after taking back possession.

However, there are also successful examples. After transferring the operational rights to eight major scenic spots to commercial entities, Fenghuang County in Hunan harvested 3 billion yuan ($436 million) from the tourism sector in 2010 alone, tripling the revenue of previous years. Meanwhile, facilities in these areas were renovated.

Tourism has the potential to become a major contributor to local economy, but we need new operational concepts for scenic spots. While the government-run model has been found to be ineffective in many places, outsourcing is being increasingly accepted as an alternative. Under the original arrangements, Yueyang Tower has been operated quite inefficiently, so why not give the new model a chance?

Liu Songhan (www.cnhubei.com): The state forbids transfer of ownership of cultural heritage sites like Yueyang Tower, but it does not ban transferring associated operational rights. This tower is of great historical and cultural importance, but as with many other such places under government control, its commercial value has not been fully tapped. To outsource the tower's operation to a private business is a very good strategy which will fully exploit its cultural significance and probably provide new source of growth for the local economy.

Opposition to the scheme is mostly based on the assumption that the company awarded the right to operate the tower will skimp on maintenance. However, this idea is unfounded. If the company behaves in such a fashion, the local government can withdraw the operational right. Actually, as long as the company's responsibilities are made clear and a mature supervisory mechanism is put in place, the private operator will not dare to allow the tower to come to harm. Changes always come together with risks, but this should not be used as an excuse to refuse the local government's new reform.

Walking a fine line

Ran Yu (Beijing Times): Transferring a scenic spot's management to a commercial operator is nothing new. However, when it comes to Yueyang Tower, the move has triggered controversy. That's partly because the tower is a symbol of Yueyang, and locals are very proud of it.

You can generate money very quickly if you run a scenic site as a business, but the fallout is also serious. After transferring operational rights, some local authorities tend to relax supervision, and as a result, the commercial operators focus solely on making money, regardless of damage sustained by the sites in the process of development.

Market-oriented operation does not necessarily go against preservation of cultural relics. However, it's still important to walk a fine line. Local governments must understand that market forces are not a panacea for tourism development. The potential side effects should be fully assessed and only on this basis can authorities decide whether or not to transfer management rights.

Zhu Dan (Beijing Morning Post): The debate is not just about the right to operate Yueyang Tower, it's also about the protection of historical and cultural relics. The bottom line is that no matter who actually operates the tower, it must be kept in safe condition.

Once the tower is operated by a commercial entity, authorities should step up supervision instead of keeping their hands off. Detailed protection measures should come first, before the transfer happens.

Zhang Dongfeng (Nanfang Daily): Cultural relics are a legacy left by our ancestors, and their development or utilization must serve the public interest. However, it's widely known that commercial entities tend to pursue the preservation of historical relics merely for profit. Therefore, many people are concerned about the news that the operation of Yueyang Tower is to be contracted to a private enterprise.

To promote the local economy by developing tourism resources is a tendency in many places around the nation. Yueyang Tower is so famous among Chinese people that the local government must consider not using it to generate revenue a waste of resources.

In the past decade or so, a lot of disputes arose over how cultural relics should be protected and developed for tourism purposes. Local governments and tourism authorities, driven by eagerness for money, separate the ownership and operational rights of scenic spots. They believe commercial development of cultural relics and places of interest can not only boost the local economy, but also help to preserve the treasures. However, some people believe that once cultural relics are made into tourism products, they risk being abused and damaged.

Whether Yueyang Tower should be operated by commercial organizations should be decided by cultural heritage preservation authorities. In so many cases, when commercial entities take over operation of tourist sites, visitors are faced with ticket price hikes and, particularly in historical towns and streets, the scenic spots groan under huge pressures when operated at full capacity. In either case, commercial operation goes against the principle of protection coming first in case of cultural relic development.

Qiao Mu (www.jschina.com.cn): Yueyang Tower is a famous historical site, to which locals have strong sentimental attachment. It's understandable why the news of the operation of the tower being "outsourced" to a commercial entity has stirred up heated debate. Many people find it unacceptable. Meanwhile, it's quite doubtable whether the nation's laws allow such a prestigious cultural heritage site to be operated by a private business.

There is no lack of examples of cultural heritage sites being trampled, and who can guarantee that the outsourced Yueyang Tower will not be overdeveloped and its surrounding environment will not be damaged? Will the government take full responsibility for the tower's protection and supervise its operation? It's suspected that the government will completely retreat.

Can the tower be entrusted to businesses or not? This is an issue the local government should also consult with local people, apart from strictly sticking to relevant laws and regulations. Most importantly, detailed measures must be put in place in time to supervise the tower's commercial operation in order to avoid it being damaged.

Copyedited by Chris Surtees

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