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A bronze collection worth its weight in gold
By Fei Lai and Pan Zheng |
March 17, 2009, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR bronze enthusiasts the Zhejiang Zhu Bingren Bronze Art Museum in Hangzhou's famous Hefang Streeet is a pure delight. Fei Lai and Pan Zheng look at the art and the man behind this unique collection.
Bronze doors, windows, columns, roofs, wells, teapots and paintings - almost everything at the Zhejiang Zhu Bingren Bronze Art Museum is made of bronze.
For bronze enthusiasts, this is a dream world where the art of bronze is taken beyond the imagination.
Located on Hefang Street, the traditional stone-paved shopping street in Hangzhou, the privately run museum is the first of its kind in China. Among the other shops sporting silk, fans and jade along the street, this really stands out.
The museum is named after Zhu Bingren, a famous Chinese sculptor who was born into a family of sculptors and is widely considered "China's maestro of bronze sculpture."
The bronze hall in the Lingyin Temple and Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou, and the bronze tower in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are among his most famous works.
The construction of the museum began in September, 2005 and it opened in February, 2007.
As the founder, naturally Zhu displays his sculptures here, including bronze models of the bridges, buildings, halls and pagodas he has designed. These splendid creations are a feast for the eyes.
Every piece of bronze art has a story behind it. One of the most dramatic yarns concerns a fire that broke out on May 25, 2006, when the construction of the Tianning Pagoda in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, was nearly completed. The blaze burned out the bronzes on one entire floor, which Zhu had been in charge of.
While the fire destroyed the interior and furnishings rather than the structure, it also cost several million yuan for Zhu to repair the bronze works that had been lost.
The fire, however, led to an unexpected discovery.
After the fire was extinguished, Zhu searched through the debris and pulled out some of the bronze works that had been melted and misshapen by the blaze.
He took home with him two packages of these melted bronze pieces. After working on them, he created a new style of sculpture and those pieces that might have been lost became works of art.
Zhu had never thought of creating sculptures this way but now he has a new form - melted bronze art.
On the first and second floors of Zhu's museum, many of these copper creations are now displayed.
Born in 1944, Zhu is the fourth generation practitioner of Zhu's Copper Art. His great grandfather started the family business in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), later passing on his skills to his son.
Zhu grew up amid the sounds of copper being hammered. However, Zhu Deyuan, his father, faced hard times and had difficulty keeping the business open.
Later, Zhu Deyuan began studying calligraphy and became a famous calligrapher, while Zhu Bingren studied a variety of subjects including religion and culture, architectural art, chemistry, computers and business management.
They didn't restart the bronze business until after China's reform and opening-up, and gradually developed it into one of the leading enterprises in bronze decorations. With a deep knowledge of China's history and culture, Zhu became a master of bronze art.
"Life often goes differently to the way you plan it. However, you will always achieve the best if you make every efforts," Zhu once said. "When one door is closed, there must be another door being opened for you, and often it's a bigger one.''
Copper comes alive in Zhu's hands and his works will be around for a very long time. Every one of his works is a part of history recording a cultural, artistic or architectural happening. Come to the museum and experience another delight of Hangzhou. If you go Zhejiang Zhu Bingren Bronze Art Museum
Address: 221 Hefang Street
Tel: (0571) 8535-7266
You can take a bullet train from Shanghai South Railway Station to Hangzhou - it only takes 78 minutes. Or drive yourself via the A8 Expressway which takes about two hours.
After arriving in Hangzhou, you can take the transit buses 801 or K801 to Hefang Street.
Bronze doors, windows, columns, roofs, wells, teapots and paintings - almost everything at the Zhejiang Zhu Bingren Bronze Art Museum is made of bronze.
For bronze enthusiasts, this is a dream world where the art of bronze is taken beyond the imagination.
Located on Hefang Street, the traditional stone-paved shopping street in Hangzhou, the privately run museum is the first of its kind in China. Among the other shops sporting silk, fans and jade along the street, this really stands out.
The museum is named after Zhu Bingren, a famous Chinese sculptor who was born into a family of sculptors and is widely considered "China's maestro of bronze sculpture."
The bronze hall in the Lingyin Temple and Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou, and the bronze tower in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are among his most famous works.
The construction of the museum began in September, 2005 and it opened in February, 2007.
As the founder, naturally Zhu displays his sculptures here, including bronze models of the bridges, buildings, halls and pagodas he has designed. These splendid creations are a feast for the eyes.
Every piece of bronze art has a story behind it. One of the most dramatic yarns concerns a fire that broke out on May 25, 2006, when the construction of the Tianning Pagoda in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, was nearly completed. The blaze burned out the bronzes on one entire floor, which Zhu had been in charge of.
While the fire destroyed the interior and furnishings rather than the structure, it also cost several million yuan for Zhu to repair the bronze works that had been lost.
The fire, however, led to an unexpected discovery.
After the fire was extinguished, Zhu searched through the debris and pulled out some of the bronze works that had been melted and misshapen by the blaze.
He took home with him two packages of these melted bronze pieces. After working on them, he created a new style of sculpture and those pieces that might have been lost became works of art.
Zhu had never thought of creating sculptures this way but now he has a new form - melted bronze art.
On the first and second floors of Zhu's museum, many of these copper creations are now displayed.
Born in 1944, Zhu is the fourth generation practitioner of Zhu's Copper Art. His great grandfather started the family business in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), later passing on his skills to his son.
Zhu grew up amid the sounds of copper being hammered. However, Zhu Deyuan, his father, faced hard times and had difficulty keeping the business open.
Later, Zhu Deyuan began studying calligraphy and became a famous calligrapher, while Zhu Bingren studied a variety of subjects including religion and culture, architectural art, chemistry, computers and business management.
They didn't restart the bronze business until after China's reform and opening-up, and gradually developed it into one of the leading enterprises in bronze decorations. With a deep knowledge of China's history and culture, Zhu became a master of bronze art.
"Life often goes differently to the way you plan it. However, you will always achieve the best if you make every efforts," Zhu once said. "When one door is closed, there must be another door being opened for you, and often it's a bigger one.''
Copper comes alive in Zhu's hands and his works will be around for a very long time. Every one of his works is a part of history recording a cultural, artistic or architectural happening. Come to the museum and experience another delight of Hangzhou. If you go Zhejiang Zhu Bingren Bronze Art Museum
Address: 221 Hefang Street
Tel: (0571) 8535-7266
You can take a bullet train from Shanghai South Railway Station to Hangzhou - it only takes 78 minutes. Or drive yourself via the A8 Expressway which takes about two hours.
After arriving in Hangzhou, you can take the transit buses 801 or K801 to Hefang Street.
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