The company that operates the historic site known as Qiao Jia Da Yuan in Qixian county, North China's Shanxi Province, has been turned into a privately controlled entity, the China Business Journal reported on Thursday.
Qiao Jia Da Yuan, built in the 18th century, was known as the residence of famous financier Qiao Zhiyong. It has appeared in popular Chinese movies such as Raise the Red Lantern by Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
The report said that the controlling ownership of Qiaojiadayuan Tourism Holdings was transferred from Qixian's State-owned asset supervision and administration commission to a private individual named Tang Kai.
The report drew wide attention since Qiaojiadayuan operates a historic site that includes a museum, which should be State-owned, raising concerns about State assets falling into private hands.
However, officials in Qixian said that the ownership of the Qiaojiadayuan compound and the museum itself is different, and the museum is a State asset that is protected by Chinese laws, according to the report.
Business documents showed that Tang's company Shanxi Jinghua has a controlling stake of 32 percent in Qiaojiadayuan, according to the China Business Journal.
