Self-taught handicraft master in China amazes netizens with wooden model of landmark ancient building in his hometown

A 1:44 wooden scale model of the Taibai Pavilion, a centuries-old landmark building in Neijiang city, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, recently caused a sensation on Chinese social media platforms.

A 1:44 wooden scale model of the Taibai Pavilion, a centuries-old landmark building in Neijiang city, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, created by a self-taught craftsman named Wang Zhiming. (Photo/Zou Lei)

The exquisite model is made of more than 1,000 pieces of wood with the traditional Chinese mortise and tenon technique. It vividly shows the architectural style and detailed features of the original building, which was built in 1845.

The model has also brought increasing attention to its maker – a 27-year-old self-taught handicraft master named Wang Zhiming.

Wang has been interested in handicraft and the fine arts since childhood. He has spent enormous time and efforts learning relevant techniques and improving his skills.

“Handicrafts seem boring. But as long as I devote time to it and immerse myself in it, I can easily get a sense of achievement by turning unremarkable materials into beautiful artworks,” Wang said.

Great efforts and repeated practice have been the secret to his successes in mastering the handicraft’s various techniques, according to Wang.

Every time he makes handicrafts for practice purposes, he would carefully observe the structure of the subject through photos and videos, copy the sketch design on paper over and over again, and try to picture the 3D shape of the work.

Photo shows the symmetrical patterns, doors and windows with hollowed-out patterns, characters on the couplets, as well as the other details of a wooden scale model of the Taibai Pavilion, a centuries-old landmark building in Neijiang city, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, created by a self-taught craftsman named Wang Zhiming. (Photo/Zou Lei)

The wooden model of the Taibai Pavilion is one of the handicrafts he made for practice purposes. It took him more than a month to create the model, according to Wang, who disclosed that all the symmetrical patterns, doors and windows with hollowed-out patterns, characters on the couplets, and other details of the model, were manually made by himself.

“After field trips and repeated measurement, I calculated the dimensions of the components, connected the beams and columns using the mortise and tenon joints, reinforced the model with glue, and finally created the miniature Taibai Pavilion you see now,” Wang explained.

“When I created my 100th handicraft, I still needed to learn techniques through trial and error; but when I finished making my 1000th work, I’ve come to totally understood the fundamentals of the craft,” he said.

“Neijiang city has nurtured a profound culture and many great minds since ancient times. It also has many ancient buildings and rich historical and cultural heritage. Now that I’m able to design and create handicrafts, I certainly ought to make contributions to my hometown,” said Wang, who hopes to hold exhibitions for his artworks so that more people can gain a better understanding of the history and culture of Neijiang.

The young craftsman has started a handicrafts company. He is ready to create wooden miniature models of more ancient buildings in his hometown, aiming to promote the business of his company while showing off the cultural elements of Neijiang city to increasingly more people.