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January 7, 2014

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Collector’s elegant woodware once for daily use

By Wu Huixin | January 7, 2014, Tuesday | Print Edition

Up to about 20 years ago, people in the southern part of the Yangtze River were accustomed to using daily utensils and other items made of wood. Washbasins, footbaths, buckets, pot covers, fruit trays and bathtubs were all made of wood. People called them round wooden utensils due to their shape.

While they fell out of favor as metal and plastic versions took over the market, a local Hangzhou collector, Hu Xingfa, has been collecting different types of round wooden utensils for years.

As his collection grew, Hu decided he should create a privately owned museum. After years of preparation, the Oriental Round Woodware Museum was set up in 2009.

Hu’s father, Hu Shaolin, who passed away 18 years ago, was a noted carpenter who made many such wooden items.

“I have a special nostalgia for woodware because of the influence of my father. When I see beautiful old wooden utensils, I always buy them immediately,” Hu says. Most of his collection was purchased in rural areas in Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces.

“Woodware varies according to regional styles. Take Zhejiang Province, for example — the carpentry from Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jiaxing and Huzhou was characterized by delicate crafting and elegant design, while the ones from Jiande and Tonglu counties of Hangzhou emphasized practical uses,” Hu explains.

Today, Hu’s collection of woodware is not confined to round objects, but includes other shapes like rectangular and square items. A third of his 1,500-piece collection is on display at the museum, including four pieces of his father’s.

The most valuable exhibit is a table made of huali (a rare wood primarily grown in Hainan Province) worth an estimated minimum of 1 million yuan (US$165,298).

“Wood utensils for daily use, like tubs and footbaths, have disappeared from our life and finished their historical mission already. The only way to preserve those that remain is to display them in museums,” Hu says.   

“In olden times, when a girl was born, her parents had to stock loads of timber in order to make furniture and daily utensils for her as a dowry for her future wedding day,” Hu adds. “The more woodware, the better life it predicted.”

The wooden close-stool — a stool with a chamber pot built within it — was a must-have in the past. The close-stool had another name, zisun bucket, or offspring bucket. If a girl took a wooden close-stool as part of her dowry when she married, it meant she would give birth to babies and carry on her husband’s family line successfully.     

Hu began learning carpentry from his father, but he dropped out halfway through his training and started a business. Running a mill that made tissues helped him earn the money to create the museum. 

The house where the museum is located is Hu’s private villa. Opening a museum in a residential block raised the eyebrows of his neighbors.

“They thought I was odd. I could get 100,000 yuan of rental a year. But now, I have to spend at least 100,000 yuan to operate my museum,” says Hu.

Hu travels around the world to purchase valuable wood like rosewood, visiting such countries as India, Vietnam, Brazil, Russia and Cambodia. Those places are like a paradise of precious wood in Hu’s eyes.

Hu’s mother doesn’t approve. “I don’t stand by him. I cannot understand why he spends large amounts of money in collecting useless carpentry.”

But Hu has stuck to his dream of collecting woodware regardless of his family’s opposition.

His dream is supported by local government — officials said they provide a subsidy to boost the development of the museum and preserve local culture. Last year, the subsidy was 170,000 yuan, but it varies every year, officials said.

As a professional collector, Hu can recognize different varieties of wood with only a glance at a wooden utensil.

“Handmade carpentry is on the decrease. No one is willingness to learn this craft anymore because the price is not proportional to the time and labor it takes. Also, in modern life, there are many alternatives to replace them.” Hu says.

Hu says he knows of only one carpenter capable of making such objects in Hangzhou, in the Drum Tower. Tangqi Town in Yuhang District and Shen’ao Town in Tonglu County each have one.

Most of the exhibits in Hu’s museum are of cedar, which is soft, fine and with a smooth texture. The daily utensils like footbaths, buckets and bathtubs were made watertight through the skills of old carpenters.

The exhibits are divided into four parts — instruments of production, sacrificial vessels, daily items and ornamental items. The patterns and craftsmanship reflect the folk culture of south China and convey the wisdom of local artisans.

Address: 159 Dukou Rd

Admission: Free, but call ahead to visit  

Tel: 137-5713-2003

 

Hangzhou


 

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