Shortly after the death of Shen Peng’s grandfather, his grandmother visited the site of their former house in northern China. The government had demolished the house as part of a redevelopment project almost 15 years ago. However, the site remained undeveloped, and the overgrown grass made it difficult for her to walk around.
This prompted Mr. Shen to think of a way to help his grandmother relive her memories. After working secretly for over six months, the 31-year-old hairdresser presented his grandmother with a surprise – a handcrafted 1:20 scale replica of their old home.
The replica included details such as a wire clothesline in the courtyard with a small blue blanket, a rickety bicycle, and a shed made of foam boards and plaster. Mr. Shen even visited the old house site to accurately recreate the remaining fragment of a brick wall.
This project introduced him to a small but growing community of artists in China who cater to the increasing demand for miniature replicas of demolished, remodeled, or lost homes due to China’s rapid modernization.
While designing and collecting miniatures has long been a hobby in the West, it is relatively new in China. Miniatures have become a way for Chinese artists to come to terms with the rapid changes in their society.
Over the past four decades, China has transformed from one of the world’s poorest countries into the second-largest economy. The urban population has tripled, and many Chinese have witnessed the disappearance of the structures from their childhood, often due to government redevelopment projects.
Mr. Shen explained, “Nobody would actually want to live in these houses again. Once people have gotten used to nice things, they can’t handle these shabby ones. But the pace of life now is too fast. Just because you live in a high-rise doesn’t mean you’re happy.”
He added that the miniatures offer a form of spiritual enjoyment when material needs are fulfilled.
Although the craft of creating miniature replicas remains relatively niche, artists with sizable followings on Chinese social media are limited to about a dozen. However, their posts about their creations can accumulate hundreds of thousands of likes. Mr. Shen, for instance, has 400,000 followers on Douyin, China’s TikTok.
The miniatures vary in terms of budget and geographical representation. Homes in northern China were typically one-story, constructed from stone or mud, while those in the south were taller and made of wood. Some miniatures only depict the exterior of a home with minimal details, such as a tiny chicken in the yard. Others feature intricate interiors with working light bulbs and family portraits on the walls.
If the artists are fortunate, their clients…
2023-08-19 02:12:29
Link from www.nytimes.com
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