China's Gen-Z artist captures nostalgia for old houses with miniature models

JINAN, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Stepping into Lu Qinghuan's studio feels like entering a museum of Chinese residential architecture, from the cave dwellings of the northwest and the white-walled houses by streams and bridges in the east to the tube-shaped apartment buildings of northern cities with smoke curling from their chimneys.

Many of these houses have vanished amid China's rapid urbanization, yet 23-year-old Lu has preserved their memories through his miniature models.

"Each demolished old house carried a part of local history, and my model, in a sense, has become an archive," he said.

Born in a village in Dezhou, east China's Shandong Province, Lu's life changed one afternoon when he received a phone call informing him that his family's old house was going to be demolished.

It was a typical brick house in rural northern China where Lu spent 17 years with his grandparents.

"My grandpa used to hold my hand and walk me to and from school every day, while my granny prepared dinner for us," he recalled. "On spring and summer evenings, we sometimes set up a table in the yard for supper, and when the locust trees bloomed, the air was filled with the sweetest fragrance."

In 2022, Lu, a material science major, discovered miniature models online and was instantly captivated, prompting him to travel to Jinan, capital of Shandong, to learn the craft. When asked what he wanted to create first, he immediately replied, "My old house."

Creating miniature models is no easy task, involving designing, cutting, assembling, polishing, painting and adding weathering effects among other steps. The challenge proved greater than Lu had imagined. "Sketching the blueprint, for example, requires precise measurements, but relying only on photos made it very difficult," he said.

Lu eventually found a solution because the size of standard red bricks in China is fixed, and by counting the number of bricks on a wall, he could determine the dimensions of the house.

The polishing process took an entire week, with eight hours of work each day, during which he used a knife to carve the outline and texture of each brick.

While working on his old house, he could almost feel the toil and hope his grandpa poured into building it, smell the familiar aromas in the air when his grandma cooked, see the sun-drenched clothes hanging on the line, the dried chilies and corn on the walls, the vegetable patch in the yard, and the tall locust tree nearby in full white bloom.

The model, measuring 64 centimeters in both width and length, was completed in a month. "I held the model in my arms as I walked from my studio back home. It felt like the most precious part of my memories had finally found its place," Lu said.

When he walked past a public square, a crowd gathered around him, and he enthusiastically explained the details of the model while letting people take photos. "I am not an outgoing or talkative person, but on that day I spoke a lot and felt incredibly proud. I wanted to show everyone that this was the old house I once lived in," he said. What should have been a 10-minute walk took him over an hour.

He later posted a video of his work online, which quickly garnered millions of views. Many viewers shared memories of their own old houses, as Lu's creation evoked collective nostalgia and resonated deeply with those living away from their hometowns.

Inspired by the response, Lu started his own company creating miniatures for customers, with most of his 20 employees belonging to Gen-Z.

Each model can cost from several thousand yuan to tens of thousands. The company now receives at least 30 orders a month, with the largest single order earning more than 200,000 yuan (about 28,215 U.S. dollars). To improve efficiency, they purchased high-precision laser cutting machines and 3D printers.

"While we help our clients preserve their memories, their memories also inspire us," he said.

One client wanted to recreate the small room he had shared with his girlfriend during their early, struggling days, with a hidden switch under the model's bed, revealing a pair of engagement rings when she touched it. Another client, now living in the United States, wished to replicate his old house in Shanxi, down to every plant and tree. An entrepreneur from Singapore requested a model of his small workshop to remind himself of his humble beginnings.

Lu even plans to launch an online museum to showcase all the old building models he has made and their stories. "Maybe 100 years later, people then would like to know where we lived, and my models could provide a reference."

"Urbanization is constantly eroding traditional memories," he continued. "While embracing modernization and enjoying more convenient lives, we also want to help more people hold onto their nostalgia and remember their roots." ■