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Old houses are guardians of long family histories
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Some people believe that old houses have souls. Not in the sense of the supernatural, but rather in the sense that a house embodies the spirit and history of generations of a family.
Ancestors built large residences not only for themselves but also for generations to come. An old house became a sort of the giant root of a family tree.
Nowadays, big houses built to last for generations are mostly a thing of the past. Modern buildings just donÕt carry the same sense of history. The best we can do now is visit older mansions that have been preserved for posterity and listen to the stories they have to tell.
In the Minhang areas of Qibao, Pujiang, Zhuanqiao and Maqiao, there are some fine old houses still standing.
Memories: childhood hidey-holes in the garden
The house located on North Hengli Road near the Puhuitang River in Qibao Old Town is a brick and wooden frame house in the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Crossing through a small, somewhat broken front door, one enters another world. The 1,000-square-meter house contains hallways, patios, yard and two stories of living area.
The house is owned by the family of Ruan Zhuping. It was bought by Ruan’s great-grandmother 150 years ago. Ruan, her grandfather, father and brothers were all born in the house. At one time, more than 20 family members lived under the same roof.
“I remember when I was a little kid, I liked playing wooden board on the waters of Hengli Harbor, which no longer exists,” Ruan said. “It’s one of the happiest memories in my childhood in this old house.”
A bamboo garden behind the old house used to be the paradise playground for children. The garden was full of sweet osmanthus, redwood, cypress, calyx canthus and cassia.
“There are two walnut trees now that grew from seeds that my brother and I threw out there occasionally,” said Ruan, “There was an alcove in the bamboo forest that used to be our secret hiding place.”
Qibao was once a very flourishing town, Ruan said, with thriving cloth, food and briquette industries.
“Many food markets were located around Qibao,” she said. “People living in the city center used to come and do their shopping here.”
Ruan said her great-grandmother was a hard-working woman, with a good business sense and a talent for spinning and weaving. She bought farmland in the area and rented it out. She taught children how to make gloves. She invested her income in the education of her offspring. Her son became a surgeon and Ruan’s father completed a postgraduate degree in the arts and was an educator all his life.
The big family luxuriated amid wealth, peace and happiness, Ruan said.
“My father, cousins and nephews were all married in this house,” she said. “In days past, a wedding celebration lasted three days, with banquets for friends and neighbors.”
The harmonious times ended during China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Ruan’s father was the object of political attacks, and all of his books were confiscated. Ruan’s elder brother was sent to work in faraway Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. Ruan moved to Macau in 1984, six years after her father died.
After 20 years life abroad, Ruan move back to her old house in 2004. All the memories flooded back. Her brother also decided to move back with his family from Xinjiang.
They faced a mess. Years of neglect had left the house in disrepair. It took them a long time to rehabilitate the property. They painted the walls, reconstructed the central wooden staircase, installed a gas cooker and restored the gardens.
“What really made me sad was the sorry state of the gardens,” Ruan said. “But we were confident that we could restore the house and gardens back to their former splendor.”
Their confidence was not misplaced. Ruan said her retirement has been enriched by the harmony and peace restored to the family property. It’s a treasure inherited from her ancestors that she plans to bequeath to her successors.
Memories: traditional wedding celebrations
Another old family mansion that’s been rescued from the vicissitudes of time is located in Jinpu Village, Pujiang Town.
Zhang Guosheng, 86, is the fourth generation to live in the house. Last year, the family set about to repair the old house along the river. It has seven doors and, except for the 30-square-meter central hall, all the rooms needed major repair. Walls were repainted and modern lighting installed.
“One big pity is that the old flower-carved windows and wooden tables were destroyed by mold,” Zhang said. “The new aluminum-alloy windows are nice but they don’t match the feeling of the past.”
The house was constructed during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor (1871-1908) in the Qing Dynasty. Zhang’s grandfather, a successful tailor, saved his money and bought the house.
“It used to be one of the best houses in Jinpu,” Zhang said. “I was born here.”
He recalled weddings held in the mansion. According to Chinese tradition, newly married couples were required to worship on bended knees and kowtow in the front of the central hall to pay their respects to elders and ancestors.
Zhang said it was important to restore the hall to its former glory.
Zhang and his wife Yao Jinfang were married in the house. She was 19 at the time. Since then, uncles, a son and nephews have also been married there.
“It was an important part of the life of old families,” he said of the central hall. “Decorated with lanterns and streamers, it exuded an atmosphere of great happiness.”
Zhang’s family nowadays is far-flung. He said his wish for the coming new year is a grand reunion in the house to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival.
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