Huizhou Revisited

By Editorial Stuff

On 11 November 2001, dignitaries including Zhang Wenbin, head of China's National Cultural Relics Bureau, Wang Limei, Director of the foreign affairs office of the State Administration of the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau and Robert Ellsworth, an honorary citizen of Anhui province, gathered in Xiqinan village, Huizhou, Anhui province to celebrate the completion of a ten-year conservation project of four Ming period buildings which have been designated as `National Treasures'. It was also the culmination of Ellsworth's vision since he discovered the volume Huizhou Mingdai zhuzhan (Huizhou Ming Dynasty Residential Architecture) in the London bookshop Collet's in 1958. In his quest to refine his dating system for Chinese furniture, Ellsworth was finally granted, through persistence and connections, a permit to visit the dated buildings of the region in November 1991. He intended to trace dated houses and study the evolution of design in woodcarving as this would assist in making more accurate distinctions between Ming, Qing and transitional examples. Although many buildings had been moved or disassembled during the Cultural Revolution, a number still remained in the village. Ellsworth's visit was timely. The existing programme by the Anhui Cultural Relics Bureau to restore many of the Ming period structures was in jeopardy due to a lack of provincial government funds and a realignment of priorities following floods in Anhui province. Impressed by the commitment of Li Hong, a specialist in classical architecture at the Bureau, to preserving the region's heritage and the high standard of workmanship being done by local artisans skilled in wood and stone carving to restore Baolun Ge, the ancestral shrine of the Luo clan, Ellsworth promised assistance. In March 1992, he formed the China Heritage Arts Foundation (CHAF) in Hong Kong to raise funds for the continuing preservation of the shrine and other structures in the village. According to Li Hong, now Vice Director of Cultural Relics in Anhui, Baolun Ge was first built in the Jiajing period (1522-66) to commemorate Luo Dongshu, an ancestor who had lived during the Yuan period. Luo had refused an official post, preferring to be a recluse, and devoted his life to the perpetuation of his clan, urging them to lead pious and virtuous lives. The clan's presence in Chengkan dates back to the Tang period (608-906) and it became one of the most influential families in the Huizhou district. The ancestral home had been used as an elementary school from 1949. With an additional US$100,000 raised by Ellsworth from collectors in Hong Kong, restoration of Baolun Ge was completed in 1993. Ellsworth personally underwrote the preservation of the Zheng ancestral shrine in nearby Zheng village which was completed in 1995. It had been used as a granary during the Cultural Revolution. From inscriptions on the imposing stone gates, it is presumed that the original structure dates from before 1466, although later restoration and additions to the building in 1615 and 1713 are stylistically evident. One of the oldest structures, the Studio of Everlasting Spring (Changchun She), also in Chengkan village, was restored to its former state in 1996. The building is of historical as well as architectural importance. Its foundations are said to date to the Song period (960-1279) and the interior to the early 16th century, while the rear of the building was rebuilt during the Kangxi period (1662-1722) after it was destroyed by fire. Laowu Ge in Xiqinan village, the fourth structure and most recent restoration, dates from the 1470s and is known to be the earliest Ming period private residence in China. As it was situated next to a pond, the foundations had to be stabilized to prevent further sinking. Bruce and Ruth Ann Dayton of Minneapolis were among the donors for its restoration. The project is remarkable as the high international standard of conservation and restoration undertaken by some thirty families in Chengkan was achieved for a tenth of what it would cost in the West. Three more 16th century three-storey residential houses in Chengkan village have been earmarked. Ellsworth intends to make further contributions and to raise funds from individuals, like the Daytons, who want to give back to China some of the benefits they have received through collecting or dealing. After all, a mere US$5,000 will go a long way towards preserving China's cultural heritage.

Robert H. Ellsworth and Wang Limei at the Zheng family temple, Zheng village, Anhui province, November 2001

Courtyard of Laowu Ge, Xiqinan village, Anhui province