Retired worker makes full use of time to hone miniature art skills
Print Edition
EDITOR’S note:
HANDICRAFT arts are slowly dying in the era of bustling mega-cities. People are too busy or too disinterested to keep alive the skills of their forebears. As part of this year’s Shanghai Citizens Art Festival, a competition was held to select 100 professional and amateur artisans who are “Top Talents in Craftsmanship.” This is the first in a series of profiles of some of the winners – people striving to keep old skills alive for future generations.
PENG Yimin creates enchantment in a world where art imitates life and small is beautiful.
In his replica of downtown Shanghai’s classical Chinese Yuyuan Garden, the tallest structure is only 30 centimeters high.
Peng, 75, a retired food factory worker in Songjiang District, has been making miniature replicas of landmarks like Tian’anmen Square, bridges and temples, and of events like the Long March for over 10 years.
“Why miniature?” he said. “Because it’s tiring to make larger models.”
Born and raised in the ancient town of Sijing, Peng found he had too much free time after retirement and decided to recycle old materials lying around his home into something artistic.
He had no formal artistic training. Instead, he learned by doing. He drew his first inspiration from architectural legacies in his hometown.
His maiden work was a miniature of the town’s landmark Anfang Pagoda, which was reconstructed early in this century to replace the thousand-year-old Dongtian Temple Pagoda destroyed during the World War II. He constructed the pillars from chopsticks, the roof from a biscuit tin and the ripples of a nearby lake from electric wires.
It took Peng almost a year to create the seven story, 35-meter pagoda on a scale of 1-to-200. The delicate work involved “cutting, piercing, coloring and gluing pieces of wood,” Peng said.
He said he has only two or three hours a day to devote to his artistic endeavors because he has to take care of his wife and also help in his son’s shop. But those few creative hours give free rein to his imagination and his skills.
For his 1.5 square-meter re-creation of Miaoqian, a famous old Songjiang street with buildings in the ancient Chinese architectural style, he used mop handles for the gate pillars, chopsticks for window frames, and grey-painted lids of mooncake boxes for the ridges.
Miniature people dressed in colorful traditional Chinese clothing walk along a street among 10 little buildings. The human figures are made from wood and painted.
“You see, all the doors and windows can be opened,” said Peng with pride.
Peng takes dozens to hundreds of photos of buildings he wants to re-create to ensure accuracy.
One of his more impressive projects is the re-creation of the Long March in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
The piece, which measures 3.6 meters wide and 62 centimeters high, features 335 Red Army soldiers, each with different facial expression, made of bamboo chopsticks. They climb a snow-capped mountain. They cross a river. They plod through marshy grasslands. They fight famous battles recounted in history books.
The 13 chains on the famed Luding Bridge were made of thin iron wire that Peng split apart. The mountaintop snow was made from cigarette butts and foamed plastic, while the military horses are carved from wood.
In 2009, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Peng made an elaborate miniature replica of Tian’anmen Square in Beijing. It includes 56 tiny people representing the 56 ethnic groups of China. The Gold Water Bridge features delicate carving.
Peng’s basic working tools are quite simple: scissors, knives and glues. He uses recycled materials whenever possible to save money.
Over the years, Peng has won many city and national awards for his miniatures.
He has recently embarked on what he calls his “dream project” — Sijing Old Street.
“The old street has been renovated,” he said, “so I want to try to re-create the street the way it looked in my youth. Many older residents will remember it.”
Most of Peng’s works are on display at the Sijing Adult School, where he has been a guest lecturer. The rest are kept in his 12-square-meter studio.
Dai Zuxi, an official at the school, said he hoped the display would inspire others to follow in Peng’s footsteps, but so far that hasn’t happened.
“People who have jobs are just too busy,” Dai said.
“This sort of artwork isn’t suitable for children because it requires using sharp tools. As for senior citizens, they need good eyesight to be able to do miniature artworks.”
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