Ancient stones shed new light on a grand design
Print Edition
Two large stones believed to be ancient pillar bases were spotted at Nanliangyuan residential area in Songjiang by an antiques enthusiast.
Shu Pinyuan, a resident of Nanliangyuan in Zhongshan Neighborhood, discovered the stones lying in debris near a construction site.
Afraid that they might be damaged, Shu alerted the Songjiang official, and staff from Songjiang Museum arrived at the scene. They deduced that the stones might be pillar bases from an ancient admiral鈥檚 palace or a Buddhist hall.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 make a conclusion yet what kind of a building the bases belong to,鈥 said the museum鈥檚 Wang Xiaowei.
With a history of more than 5,000 years, pillar bases, or sangpan, are stone blocks placed under pillars to assure solidity of a building and protect pillars from damp.
The two stone bases found by Shu were basin-like and carved with flower patterns. With an edge length of 120 centimeters and a diameter of 56 centimeters, the bases fit a description in 鈥淵ingzao Fashi,鈥 the first official treatise on architecture and craftsmanship in China. The size of the bases also suggests the supported architecture was grand.
The Nanliangyuan residential quarter where the bases were found used to be the private mansion of a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) official. It was later adapted into an admiral鈥檚 office in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Undergoing renovation recently, Nanliangyuan saw the removal of weeds and therefore the unearthing of the two bases. The bases are now on display at Songjiang Museum.
The Zhongshan Neighborhood has been undergoing renovation work since 2016, with old houses being replaced by new, adding vigor to the area. Shu, however, visits construction sites day and night to save bricks, tiles or stones discarded by workers but which he thinks have historic value.
鈥淚 sensed the historic value of the two bases for their huge size and the patterns on them,鈥 Shu said. 鈥淧atterns can reveal cultures of ancient people. The two pillar bases have withstood quite a period of time.鈥
Shu鈥檚 interest in antiques dates back to his schooldays. He feels antiques are treasures left to us by our ancestors.
In 2015 Shu donated 260 old bricks he had collected to the district archives.
鈥淚t is my duty and responsibility to collect various bricks. I chose to donate bricks and tiles to our government for I think they can be best preserved by their efforts. The bricks and tiles can be a channel through which people know more about Songjiang, love the place and feel willing to do research on it,鈥 Shu said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
