The nostalgia for old Beijing suffered another bitter defeat with the vanishing vestige of the No. 24 courtyard in Beizongbu Hutong.

Part of the old quadrangle in Dongcheng District, home to late Chinese architects Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin (Phyllis Lin), was razed to rubbles by a state-owned real estate developer with little public notice during the Chinese New Year holidays.

Also bulldozed was the peace of mind of many, who were infuriated by the audacity of the property developer that pulled down the former accommodation of the prominent couple without approval from the state or the municipal bureau of cultural heritage.

Yet, remarks from the Dongcheng District officials could offer certain hints of their intentions. According to the district government, although the demolition violated regulations, it was part of a preservation program to dismantle the dilapidated building and rebuild a replica.

Zeng Yizhi, a renowned cultural heritage protector, said the demolition of the Liang and Lin's former residence set a very bad example which should never be duplicated.

"It challenged not only the legal bottom line but also the moral bottom line of society," she said.

According to Zeng, the residence was a cultural symbol of the bygone era, and its demolition overwhelmed her and emotionally brought her "to the brink of collapse."

A half century ago, Liang and Lin argued fiercely for the protection of the old city walls in Beijing in an effort to preserve the ancient capital as a living museum for the world. However, most of the walls were brought down against the couple's staunchest efforts.

"You demolish the real antiquity. One day when you regret and try to rebuild one, the reconstruction only results in a fake replica!" The pneumonia-afflicted Lin used to protest hotly with the then Beijing major Peng Zhen in the 1950s.

On Aug. 18, 2011, a replica of the old city wall was completed around the Yongdingmen Gate Tower.

Chen Zhihua, 83, was once a student of the couple and now the professor of the Architecture School in Tsinghua University. He slammed the government's plan to rebuild a memorial residence, saying that was against the "common practice" of keeping original artifacts intact as done for many historical landmarks in other countries. According to him, the rubbles should be kept as a caution to later generations.

Besides the huge barrage of criticisms, a number of experts also asked the government to enhance the authority of the bureaus of cultural heritage and improve relevant laws.

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