Historical buildings linked to China’s revolutionary past illegally demolished

Seven protected buildings in northern China linked to the nation’s revolutionary past have been illegally demolished, according to a news report.

The buildings in Harbin in Heilongjiang were all connected to communist forces in the northeast during the civil war against nationalist troops before the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, The Beijing News reported.

The buildings were knocked down during the demolition of a “shanty town”, but developers had been explicitly told to preserve the sites, according to the article.

The buildings included the former home of Liu Yalou, the first head of the PLA’s air force and a command post, the newspaper said.

The man who oversaw the destruction of the sites in June has been arrested and implicated a demolition company, the report said.