“Preserving Tradition Wherever Possible”.docVIP

“Preserving Tradition Wherever Possible” 　　China Pictorial （CP）： What motivated you to build a boutique hotel in Pingshan Village？ 　　Zhang： In 1999 when I first visited Yixian County， I was inspired to buy an old residence there to raise domestic animals and retire. I saw trucks transporting architectural relics purchased by collectors from local households. Wooden and brick carvings， masterpieces of Hui-style architecture， were moving for very cheap prices―usually 200 to 300 yuan per piece. 　　Many old residences were getting destroyed. When local young men were preparing a new concrete house decorated with porcelain tiles and marble pillars before their weddings， they demolished their antique buildings. They didn’t realize the unparalleled historical value of their old， dilapidated residences， and dismantled them and parted out anything that would sell. 　　In 2014， when I bought the imperial guard’s memorial temple， only its gate remained， behind which was a vegetable garden. Later， I purchased another 300-year-old memorial temple in a nearby village and moved its structure here， which is now the lobby of the hotel. The guestrooms， which account for two thirds of the total floor area， were constructed with components from old buildings and decorated with Shanghai relics dating back to the Republic of China period （1912-1949）. 　　Its floor is tiled with the flooring of Shanghai buildings of the 1920s and 30s， and the iron door of its lobby once protected a European-style villa in old Shanghai. Its interior decoration reflects the Art Deco style of the 1920s. I moved old stuff from 1920s Shanghai to the hotel， making it singularly connect history. Only something like this could rival historical significance of the original 300-year-old memorial temple. 　　The moment I saw the surviving gate of the memorial temple， I hoped it could survive for at least another two centuries. However， it would easily collapse eventually if preserved alone. So， I decided to build