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LIFE> Travel
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Wang's labor of love
By Lu Hong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-15 07:59
A lush garden lies in front of a group of ancient Qing Dynasty-style (1644-1911) homes in the south of Shanghai. Long corridors and numerous courtyards surround a traditional Chinese pavilion. A neighboring river adds to the beauty of the scene. Farmer Wang Yangen, 64, built these homes, inspired by his childhood dream of one day owning a large house, in suburban Nanhui district. Born into a poor farming family, Wang, has devoted much of his life to collecting abandoned building materials to construct the buildings. "Modernization has swept across the district," Wang says. "Now, only a few old buildings exist. I hope my homes will give future generations an idea of how their ancestors lived." It took Wang three years to complete the first phase of the project, which involved rebuilding the homes of wealthy Qing families on his farm.
For the second phase, Wang is constructing over 50 additional rooms, including traditional ones made from wood and grass for farmers. He hopes to finish this project in two years' time. One room will reflect the lifestyle of the re-educated youth (zhi qing) who settled in Nanhui district in the 1970s. Wang has witnessed many changes in Shanghai. When his district became the center of several modernization projects in 2003, many old buildings were torn down to make room for new developments. Seeing these centuries-old buildings disappear, Wang realized he had to do something to preserve the past. "I was afraid my grandchildren would hate me, if some day they, or their children, asked me about the buildings their ancestors used to live in," Wang says. As a local, Wang was always among the first to hear when an old building was to be demolished. He would rush to the site and offer to buy the old materials. He would buy tiles for just 0.08 yuan, wooden gates for 10 yuan ($1.46) and carved beams for 20 yuan. Often the old building materials were just dumped so owners were always pleased to have Wang deal with the waste. In 2004, Wang made his best deal, paying just 12,000 yuan ($1,755) for a guest hall that formerly belonged to a Qing official. "I transported all the materials to my flower and tree farm and reproduced the hall to its exact specifications," Wang says. "Last week an architectural expert visited and valued the hall at 3 million yuan." Another of Wang's favorite constructions is a traditional-style bridge that connects the river to Wang's farm. Chengqi Bridge, built in 1778, was dismantled in 2004. It has a simple design, but its colossal stones reveal the elegance of the Qing Dynasty. There is an ancient poem inscribed on two of the 4-m piers. Since retiring three years ago, Wang has spent most of his time and energy reconstructing the old buildings. Wang even learned to drive four years ago, despite objections from his two sons over his safety, and bought a small lorry to search for additional abandoned building materials. Initially, when the materials piled up on his farm his neighbors and family were skeptical he would ever get around to using them. But the farmer who was only educated up to primary school had faith in the old proverb: "Where there is a will, there is a way."
He spent his days visiting old buildings and taking photos of them. He read books about ancient gardens, architecture and antique furniture for further inspiration before drawing up his own designs. He gave his blueprints and detailed instructions to construction workers on how the roofs should be formed and on the mosaics of the gardens. A group of professional garden designers who visited Wang's site estimated he spent at least 100,000 yuan, just on the designs. "I told them the designs cost just 5 yuan - on buying drawing paper and pencils. The experts were surprised," says Wang, glowing with pride. So far, Wang has spent roughly 800,000 yuan on the materials for the old houses, most of his life savings. But, in spite of all his efforts and investments, Wang has never thought of getting any money out of it. "Many real estate companies and tourism agencies have visited me, offering to cooperate with me to promote the buildings for business use," Wang says. "I refused them all." "The buildings will never be used for business. I have only one aim: that the buildings should exist for future generations to visit. Anyone who is interested in my work is welcome to visit anytime, without any charge."
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