Restoring cultural relics: Starting with the crying Tang Dynasty figurines

The tenon joints were loose, causing the entire beam frame to sink and push the columns outwards. Once the columns tilted, the brackets above them also tilted, and the eaves collapsed.

This is a typical case of mortise and tenon joints aging, plus the foundation has also sunk. This house, built in the Ming Dynasty, has been standing for more than 400 years, and it looks like it's about to collapse.

"It needs to be dismantled!" Su Yuan said, and Old Liu was stunned: "Dismantle it? Does that mean taking it apart and rebuilding it?"

"It's not about rebuilding; it's about taking it apart, repairing it, and then putting it back together!"

Su Yuan pointed to the beams and platform and said:

"The tenon is rotten and needs to be replaced. The column also needs to be straightened. The foundation has settled and needs to be backfilled with grout."

Old Liu glanced at Qian Weidong, and Qian Weidong nodded:

"Alright! Let's take it down then."

Su Yuan knew that dismantling the structure was a big project that would take at least a few days. He didn't expect that Lao Liu would bring seven or eight people in the afternoon. They were all from the village, including carpenters, bricklayers, and a few strong young men.

The leader was an old man, over fifty years old, surnamed Zhang. He was the village's old carpenter, and he came along when he heard that a stage was going to be built!

"My great-great-grandfather repaired this stage..." Old Zhang said, shaking a plane in his hand. "The craft passed down from our ancestors can't be lost in my hands!"

After listening, Su Yuan explained the plan to them, going on and on:

"First, we erect scaffolding to support the roof. Then, we dismantle the beams one by one, numbering each one. After repairing them, we reassemble them according to their numbers. If a column is crooked, we need to use jacks to straighten it little by little. Where the foundation has settled, we need to reinforce it with grout!"

After listening, Old Zhang glanced at Su Yuan and asked, "What did you study?"

"Cultural relic restoration..." Su Yuan replied, then asked, "Have you repaired old houses before?"

"It's been repaired, but not this big." Su Yuan was a little embarrassed. Old Zhang smiled and said, "It's okay, I've fixed it."

Su Yuan remained silent, thinking to himself, "Having said so much, am I still myself?"

The next day, they started setting up the scaffold. The scaffold was made of bamboo, which was cut by the villagers themselves and then tied together with wire!

Su Yuan didn't know how to set up the scaffold, so he just handed over bamboo poles from below to help twist the wire.

Qian Weidong was also busy, helping to move things. Old Liu was in charge of logistics, providing lunch, which was a big pot of stew, and plenty of steamed buns!

The scaffolding was erected for two days, and the beams were dismantled on the third day.

This is the most troublesome part. The tenon is four hundred years old, and the wood is rotten. If you try to disassemble it by force, it will break. You have to spray water on it first, wait for the wood to soften a bit, and then slowly tap it!

Su Yuan climbed up the scaffolding, squatted on the beam, and tapped it bit by bit with a small hammer. It took him all morning to dismantle one beam.

Old Zhang, watching from below, shouted:

"Master Su, come down for dinner!"

Su Yuan climbed down, his hands trembling violently. He sat on the ground, holding a bowl and eating. The stew was cabbage and glass noodles with a few slices of meat; it was a bit too sweet, but he ate two bowls!

Old Zhang squatted down next to him: "Master Su, you know about that secret passage, right?"

Su Yuan nodded, and Old Zhang continued:

"I went down there when I was fifteen or sixteen..."

Su Yuan turned to look at him.

"I was brave back then, and I went inside to play with a few other kids. It was quite big down there; I could walk upright back then! There were brick vaulted ceilings and murals!"

Su Yuan hurriedly asked:

"Murals? What kind of murals are they?"

"I can't see clearly anymore, most of them have fallen off, only a few pieces of color are left, some red and some green."

Old Zhang recalled:

"Later, a new wall was added at the very back, made of red bricks, unlike the others."

Su Yuan was taken aback: "Newly built? When was it built?"

"I don't know... it was there when I went down," Old Zhang said. "There should be something else behind that wall."

Su Yuan listened without saying anything. He touched the bronze mirror in his pocket; it was a little hot…

After lunch and a short rest, they continued dismantling in the afternoon. When they were dismantling the third beam, Su Yuan noticed some writing on the tenon and took out a magnifying glass to take a look!

It was written with a brush and faded red paint, but it's still legible:

"Rebuilt in the 36th year of the Kangxi reign, by Zhang Degui."

"Zhang Degui? Could it be Old Zhang's..."

Su Yuan called Old Zhang to come and take a look. After looking at it for a long time, Old Zhang said:

"This is my great-grandfather's name..."

Su Yuan thought to himself, "As expected." He numbered the beam, wrapped it in cloth, and set it aside.

It took three days to finally dismantle all the beams!

There are thirty-six pillars in total, each numbered and labeled, and covered with plastic sheeting. The pillars are still standing, supported by scaffolding. The foundation is exposed; it is made of stone blocks, but a section in the middle has collapsed, leaving a pit.

Su Yuan squatted by the pit, shining a flashlight inside. The pit wasn't deep, about half a meter, and the bottom was rammed earth. But there was a patch of rammed earth in the middle that was a different color, a darker color, as if something was buried inside!

He reached out and touched it; it was hard.

He dug a few more times with a small shovel and unearthed a brick. It was an old-fashioned blue brick, with words engraved on it!

Su Yuan turned the brick over and saw the inscription "Built in the third year of Yongle":

"The third year of the Yongle reign was 1405... These are the earliest batch of bricks used in the stage!"

He set the bricks aside and continued digging, unearthing several more, all blue bricks, each with inscriptions. Some were from the third year of the Yongle reign, some from the seventh year of the Xuande reign, and others from the thirty-sixth year of the Kangxi reign. The bottom brick, however, did not have a year inscribed on it.

It is engraved with a person's name:

"Zhang Shouyi".

Su Yuan took the brick and called Old Zhang over to look at it. Old Zhang took it and examined it:

"This is my grandfather's name. He led the renovation during the 36th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign."

Su Yuan was momentarily stunned: "Your grandfather? Then your great-grandfather..."

"Zhang Degui is my grandfather's father," Old Zhang said. "That renovation was done by the father and son together, with my grandfather leading the team."

Su Yuan looked at the pile of bricks, then at the numbered beams, and felt a pang of emotion. He put the bricks back and began organizing the grouting.

The formula was the same as that used in Yongle Palace: lime, pig's blood, and hemp fiber. However, soil was added, and it took several people an afternoon to fill all the empty spaces under the foundation.

Once the plaster dried, they began straightening the pillar. The jack was brought by Qian Weidong. Su Yuan dared not lift too much at once, fearing he might crack the stone carving at the top of the pillar. He lifted it centimeter by centimeter, placing a piece of wood underneath after each centimeter, waiting an hour before continuing…

After holding it up all day, the pillar is finally upright!

Old Zhang measured it with a spirit level and nodded: "Master Su, it's straight now!"

Su Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and began installing the beam frame.

This is the most demanding job, requiring the thirty-six beams to be assembled according to their numbers, with the tenons perfectly aligned with the mortises. If they are even slightly off, the entire roof will be crooked.

Su Yuan climbed up the scaffolding and began installing the scaffolding piece by piece, while Old Zhang directed from below, shouting:

"A little to the left, a little to the right... too high, too low..."

When he was installing the fifteenth tube, Su Yuan's hands started to tremble. He realized it!

—There's a crack in that beam…