Many young people are obsessed with modern technology and like to "chase" the latest products, while 74-year-old Tang Jialu is an "ancient science and technology fan" who loves to "chase" the "old gadgets" of a thousand years ago.
▲Tang Jialu restored the leveraged oil press.
He once took ancient scientific and technological works, traveled all over Daba Mountain, Taihang Mountain and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, used his pension to complete the restoration of more than 20 ancient scientific and technological tools, and turned the world's earliest blower mentioned in "Tiangong Kaiwu", the Han Dynasty's Shuilian Nine Mills, One Bull Eight Mills, etc. into real-life items. He hopes to build an ancient science and technology museum, restore more ancient science and technology, and inherit traditional Chinese civilization.
A copy of "Heavenly Works" in the museum
▲ Tang Jialu's restored Han Dynasty water lianjiu mill.
In 1966, Tang Jialu was transferred from Beijing to work in a research institute in Chongqing, and Lao Tang, who was good at thinking and loving hands-on, was very fascinated by ancient Chinese science and technology, especially after the reform and opening up, and began to do a lot of research.
In the 1980s and 1990s, some precious materials and books were not easy to buy. He learned that the ancient books department of the Chongqing History Museum had Song Yingxing's "Tiangong Kaiwu", which was rarely seen at that time, and immediately went to the door to borrow it. It was an old version, and he did not dare to use his hands, but could only carefully flip through this ancient Chinese scientific and technological work with a bamboo stick to prevent the pages from breaking.
Although there were very few photocopiers at that time, and the photocopying fee of one yuan per sheet was comparable to the "sky-high price", Tang Jialu was unequivocal in this regard, and asked the staff to copy all the patterned pages and book them together, which was a large stack.
▲Han Dynasty "water pillar" model.
Holding this "book", Tang Jialu went to Tongjiang in Sichuan, Hanzhong in Shaanxi, Southeast Qiandongnan, Jiangxi... Search for the remains of ancient technological inventions mentioned in the book.
They are often hidden in the mountains, remote villages, at that time there was no electricity, no access, but Tang Jialu did not mistake, from 2004 to 2007, three or four consecutive years outside "chasing" ancient scientific and technological inventions. For example, in a big mountain in Tongjiang, he found an oil press that used the principle of leverage, "both hygienic and safe, nearly ten meters long, very stylish!" ”
More than 20 ancient inventions have been restored
▲Chinese vertical shaft windmill model.
With the theoretical support of ancient books and the support of physical objects, Tang Jialu came up with a bold idea: to make ancient scientific and technological inventions by hand.
In 2016, this huge project was launched.
When restoring the Chinese vertical axle windmill, Tang Jialu studied the drawing for a long time: "Before, I thought that it was not in the four directions of the southeast, south, and northwest, and that with four sheets, the windmill could rotate." But when he looked at the patterns on "Tiangong Kaiwu", he found that each place where the cloth was packed had a circle, and the upper and lower could move.
Why two circles that can move? What are they used for? He hadn't understood, and he didn't dare to do it easily. "It must be analyzed thoroughly to be perfectly restored!" So, he made a small model of paper and sorghum stalks first, and blew it with a hair dryer, which found the principle inside: under the blowing of the wind, one side of the fan page should be closed, and the wind pushed it to the opposite side, automatically opening, which can reduce the pressure. Close, open, close, open again – this circle was used for automatic stress reduction.
▲ Tang Jialu restored the Chinese vertical axle windmill.
Lao Tang suddenly realized: "When the ancients invented it, they must have also been successful after repeated research and repeated experimentation!" After understanding the principle, he made a 12-meter-high vertical shaft windmill, almost the same as it was used a thousand years ago, and used a tenon structure without a nail.
After many times of pondering and exploration, Tang Jialu also restored more than 20 varieties such as the world's earliest blower, the Han Dynasty's Shuilian Nine Mills, and the Han Dynasty's One Cow eight mills. These ancient Chinese devices are so amazing, the more you study the greater the interest, the deeper the learning! Tang Jialu said that before 2000, China's science and technology was absolutely the first in the world, which is a very proud thing.
For this restoration project, he also personally trained four peasant carpenters, who have been working with them to make ancient technological inventions since more than thirty years ago, and return home to farm when farmers are busy.
Most of his funds come from his own pension, and over the years have been invested in the restoration of ancient science and technology, buying equipment, asking for labor, about 400,000 yuan, some people expressed puzzlement, but he thinks it is very worthwhile.
It is hoped that the Ancient Science and Technology Museum will inherit the ancient civilization
▲ Tang Jialu restored the Han Dynasty's one bull eight mills.
In a farm located on Shapingba Hougou Road, the reporter saw all of Tang Jialu's belongings: windmills, water urns, etc. made in full accordance with the craftsmanship of more than 2,000 years ago, and students from nearby schools were visiting here.
A series of ancient technology models made the students ask curiously: "Teacher! Are the eight stone mills electrically pulled? "Do they have any scientific principles?"
"In ancient times, there was no electricity, and people relied on cattle, horses and other livestock for production and labor, so these eight stone mills were pulled by cattle, and one person pushed a stone mill to a cow pulled eight stone mills at the same time, which greatly improved production efficiency." Tang Jialu also took the students to make small models such as unicycles and windmills.
▲Han Dynasty water lianjiu mill model.
Tang Jialu said that China has been a big agricultural country since ancient times, so in ancient inventions, there are more agricultural machinery, but this is only a small part of "Tiangong Kaiwu". His greatest wish is to build an ancient science and technology museum to restore agricultural production technology, textiles, wind power, metallurgy, clay pottery, ancient means of transportation, ancient weapons, etc., to display these great inventions of ancient China and pass on the splendid culture of five thousand years to the next generation.
Upstream journalist Ji Wenling photography Liu Li
Source: Upstream News