Ruan is not the only critic of the project. Ye Yanfang, a researcher with the institute of foreign literature with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the destruction of Yuanmingyuan was a scar left by powerful western nations on the back of the Chinese nation. Preserving the ruins in Beijing would protect the true facts of history.

More than half of the 2,300 netizens who responded to a poll on sina.com were against the rebuilding project.

About 54 percent agreed that rebuilding would destroy some historical relics, and protecting what "remains is the best solution".

"Yuanmingyuan as it stands today is the best material for patriotic education. Rebuilding will not only cost money, but also probably make people forget part of history," a netizen said.

However, 44 percent agreed it was necessary to restore the exquisite imperial garden to its former glory, described as a masterpiece in Chinese classical garden art.

"Rebuilding part of the garden and showing visitors the comparison can also educate people," another netizen said.

What’s more, some experts and scholars from the China Yuanmingyuan Institute, the State Archives Administration and Tsinghua University, Pekin University, support Xu and his replica.