"5 million to sell or not to sell? 20 million to sell or not to sell? 100 million to sell or not to sell? ”
In recent years, similar demolition quotations have been lingering in the ears of Ren Jinling, who is in his fifties. He had been a poor peasant all his life, and he never dreamed that he would one day have so much money.
In the face of the sky-high price offered by the real estate owner, the neighbors took the demolition money into the city to start a new life, and only Ren Jinling was unmoved. Once he was asked in a hurry, and he directly released harsh words:
"Not for sale! I don't sell 10 billion! ”
The house that Ren Jinling regarded as a treasure was built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than 200 years, and he is the seventh generation of this old house. In 2009, the old mansion was listed as a cultural relics protection unit in Zhengzhou and set up a museum, serving as the director of Jinling Rongsheng Museum.
(Ren Jinling sitting in front of the old mansion)
Talking about the reasons for resolutely not selling the ancestral house, Ren Jinling said that this was a promise to his father and ancestors. What is the historical past of the quaint Ren family's old house? Let's take a look!
One. The ancestors built a compound prominently, and now they are hidden in the tall building
Standing on the tall building of zhengzhou city's west development zone, people's eyes will always be attracted by a blue-gray "depression". In the midst of the steel jungle, there is an isolated brick and tile house that is still ancient.
This isolated island surrounded by modern high-rise buildings is the ancestral home that Ren Jinling has sworn to guard to the death. From a distance, the whole house is made of ancient burned clay tiles, and the sun shines to make it emit a different kind of light. The entire Zhengzhou West Economic Development Zone seems to have added a foundation because of its existence.
(Ren's old mansion in the steel jungle)
Looking back at history, it turned out that more than 200 years ago, Ren Jinling's ancestor Ren Derun Guanju Erpin held an important position in the Qianlong Emperor's palace. After a lifetime of hard work, he accumulated a lot of wealth, and after returning to his hometown, he started construction of this large mansion in Dongshima Village.
Perhaps the ancestor's vision is long-term, he wants to leave a harbor for future generations to return to the roots, and the house has been repaired for more than 60 years until the Daoguang years.
At this time, the Ren family has changed for 4 generations.
The magnificent Ren family compound is a seven-entry courtyard pattern, covering an area of nearly 50 acres, and there is no more magnificent house in the entire Central Plains. It is worth mentioning that the well-known Qiao family compound at home and abroad covers an area of only about 14 acres, and the Ren family compound is almost 4 times its size.
(Imposing old mansion)
Unfortunately, history is floating and sinking, renjia family road fell, the former seven-entry compound is now only two into, covering an area of less than 4 acres. Through the bricks and tiles of this old house, we see not only the beauty of ancient architectural art, but also the changes of the vicissitudes of the sea and the mulberry fields.
Approaching the details, the four-character plaque on the gate of the Ren family's old mansion is particularly eye-catching - "auxiliary wing national government". Dare to use such a standard and standard inscription, not the regent, auxiliary minister, the eminent position of ren family ancestors can be seen.
Among them, the inscription specifications of the second gate are slightly inferior, and the four characters of "WangzhongganCheng" are written on it, which means that the owner of the mansion is highly respected and prestigious, and the capital is threatened. Ren Jinling revealed to reporters:
The two plaques of the ancestors were rewarded by no one else, but the reigning emperor Daoguang when the house was completed.
(Daoguang Emperor's handwritten inscription "Wangzhonggan City")
Unfortunately, the originals of the two door plaques are missing, and what hangs on the door today is a replica made by Ren Jinling according to the family tree. The records in the family tree fascinated Ren Jinling, and he hoped to retrieve the two original plaques before his death, which could also be regarded as a consolation to the spirits of the ancestors in heaven.
There is also a thrilling story about the two plaques given by the emperor. The Ren family ancestors were so powerful that they neglected to respect the etiquette when building the house, and the specifications of the nine purlins in the front hall and the seven purlins in the back hall committed a serious crime of trespassing.
Upon learning of this news, the Imperial History of the Dprk and China immediately carried out impeachment and sent local officials to the Renjia compound to raid the family and punish the crime. At the moment of the first attack, two plaques played a key role. When the servants saw that this was the emperor's handwriting, they did not dare to act rashly, and the matter was actually over.
The two gate plaques have unfortunately been lost, but the ancient handwriting of the inner hall has been well preserved. The words "Emperor Grace And Mighty" on one carved door eaves and the words "Ten Thousand Years of Heavenly Son" and "Fulu Yongchong" on the two screens are qing dynasty monuments that can still be clearly distinguished today.
In addition to the handwriting left by the ancestors, the most eye-catching thing about the Ren family's old residence is the wood carvings that can be seen everywhere. Eaves, beams, screens, almost where there is wood, there are exquisite wood carvings. These hand-made antique wood carvings are exquisitely skilled, and the scenes depicted are so vivid that it is not difficult to see that the craftsmanship of the wood carver hired by the family is second to none in the country.
The screen made of ancient sandalwood is engraved with famous mountains such as Songshan and Taishan, and the unicorn carving at the head of the door shows the dignity of the owner's status. Even the windows in the corners of the east and west compartments are engraved with auspicious patterns such as "Crane Cloud Sea, Double Deer Herbivorous, And Kirin Sending Children".
(Ren Family Mansion)
The palatial main hall house is even more stunning, with giant wooden beams more than seven meters high carved with looming auspicious clouds and bats, looking up as if you are in a fairyland. The immortal palace overhead echoes the "Dark Eight Immortals" on the pillars inside the house, for example, the owner of the house must be incarnated as an immortal and immortal.
In addition, each brick and tile in the courtyard has a delicate brick carving, and different patterns symbolize different auspicious meanings, and the whole house is like a natural carved artwork. When people walk into the courtyard door, it is like falling into a treasure house of historical and cultural heritage.
Such a priceless treasure, it is natural for the boss to offer a sky-high price. Ren Jinling proudly told reporters:
"There are developer bosses who have opened a price of more than 100 million."
But as he promised, even if someone offered 1 billion or 10 billion, he would never betray his ancestors. Because this is the ancestral home, people must not forget the original, this is the persistence and faith in Ren Jinling's heart!
Second, pure heart and widowhood, not greedy for money, determined to protect the old ancestral home
"The ancient house is an ancestral thing, not my thing, it is only passed down to my generation, and I have the responsibility to keep it; if I sell the ancient house in my generation, it is to break the family roots, and I am ashamed of my ancestors."
This is the passage that Ren Jinling most often says to outsiders.
Going back in history to 2007 and putting ourselves in the shoes of Ren Jinling in Dongshima Village, we can better appreciate the preciousness of his words.
That year, the construction of Zhengzhou West Development Zone was in full swing, and Dongshima Village was adjacent to Henan University of Technology, Peony Street and other places, which was a hot treasure in the eyes of countless developers. For a time, the boss carrying a large bag of cash stepped on the door of every household in Dongshima Village.
(Ren Jinling)
Or hundreds of thousands, or millions, the villagers make a lot of money, which is enough money for them to buy better houses in the city and even eat and drink for a lifetime. Only one person frowned and turned away the smiling boss again and again.
This person is Ren Jinling, who is in his fifties, who has repeatedly rejected the developer's higher and higher offers, and even when the contract reaches 100 million yuan in cash, he is as stable and unmoved.
In his heart, the old mansion was his life, and no amount of money could replace it.
Some people laughed at his stupidity, with a lot of money, a good future, and had to guard this broken yard. Some people ridiculed his greed, saying that he wanted to be a nail household, waiting for the price to sell, and 100 million yuan was reluctant to sell.
In order to find out the truth of the matter, some reporters traveled thousands of miles to Ren's house. Facing the camera, Ren Jinling, who was full of white hair, finally revealed his heart:
"I don't want to be a nail household either!" But the Ren family compound was too important to me. ”
The accounting of the ancestors and the inheritance of future generations are on the one hand, and the father's dying ding-dong is another important reason why Ren Jinling is reluctant to sell his ancestral home. In 2007, shortly before the developer came to Dongshima Village to plan the demolition, Ren Jinling's octogenarian father died of illness.
The old father had planted the land all his life, and he had not saved any family property, and he had only one sentence on Ren Jinling's repeated explanations——
"Guard our house."
In the mist of tears, Ren Jinling still remembered that when he was a child, his father told him that this was his grandfather's last words before he died. This is the inheritance and persistence engraved in the bones, in the blood, but also a kind of reverence for the history and culture of the ancestors of the Chinese!
The responsibility was passed down from generation to generation and eventually fell on the shoulders of Ren Jinling. The rapid economic development and astronomical demolition money have made Ren Jinling, the seventh generation, encounter unprecedented temptations and challenges, and his situation is much more difficult than any previous generation of ancestors.
Ren Jinling's children live in the city, and it takes a lot of money to get married and raise children, and he can't say that he can't afford to be a father. If the old house is sold, the demolition and relocation of 100 million yuan is enough for the whole family to eat and drink for generations, and he will inevitably be a little moved in the face of such a number.
The family's ancestral training eventually prompted Ren Jinling to restrain the surging desires: "Shi Li Heirloom" and "Bud Shi Grace". Ren Jinling recited this ancestral precept every day when he was a child, and he also strictly required his son Ren Yuanye to grow up carrying the ancestral training.
Although the Ren family at that time was not rich, Ren Jinling ruled the family very strictly, and the morality of his children was regarded by him as the top priority of family education. Good family style gives birth to children who are contentious, standing at the crossroads of fate, Ren Jinling is glad that his children support his decision.
His son Ren Yuanye said in an interview: "It is difficult to start a business, it is even more difficult to keep a job, the younger generations cannot exchange their ancestors for money, and everything can be earned and struggled by their own hands." There are always some things in life that cannot be sold, this is the family style, but also the belief. ”
When he said this, the belief in Ren Yuanye's eyes was the same as that of his father, Ren Jinling. Neighbors in the village have made a fortune from demolition money, and some even went to the city to buy seven or eight properties. Ren Yuanye, who rented a house, did not envy them at all, for him, the ancestral home was an eternal harbor.
(Ren Jinling and daughter)
Ren Jinling's daughter Ren Ying was also angry, she did not ask her father for money, all rely on her own hands to work hard and start a business. More than a decade ago, she opened more than 20 chain bakeries in Zhengzhou to provide a rich life for the whole family.
With such a pair of filial and capable sons and daughters, Ren Jinling's protection of the ancestral house has become more and more determined. He quit his long-term occupation as a migrant worker, and his family's acres of land were abandoned in order to devote himself to the maintenance and repair of his ancestral home.
Time flies, the white colt passes through the gap, and many villagers who were allocated the demolition funds in those years have lost their family property and are destitute. The Ren family's old mansion has always stood among the high-rise buildings in the west of Zhengzhou, and the erosion of the years will only make its light more dazzling.
Third, the old house incarnates as a museum, inheriting a long history
The protection of the old house is not simply to live here, the house built with traditional shingle technology will expose various problems over a long time, Ren Jinling has not learned professional architectural knowledge, everything depends on learning from scratch.
He devoted all his time to repairing the old house, and some complicated problems could not be understood, so he asked his daughter to ask his friends who were studying construction engineering. Gradually, Ren Jinling became self-taught, mastered the craft of carpentry and carving, and really understood what is meant by "repairing the old as the old".
In order to better preserve the original appearance of the old house, Ren Jinling spent a lot of money to carry out a comprehensive renovation. A new floor was laid on the floor of the house to prevent people from trampling on the floor of the logs. The brick carvings in the courtyard were also pasted up by him with special material mud, and the speed of weathering was greatly reduced.
(Ren Jinling who repaired the old mansion)
Cultural relics with high artistic value are buried in the ground by Ren Jinling, and some enamel and celadon vases are extremely fragile, and if they were not so carefully cared for, they would have already become a pile of waste. In the past few years, many literary experts have wanted to buy at a high price, and Ren Jinling's answer is invariably rejected.
The sacred beasts on the roof ridge such as "foxes, bullfights, badgers, phoenixes, and roe deer" are carved and crafted in fine workmanship, and it is inevitable that they will be damaged after a long period of wind and rain. Ren Jinling personally climbed the old body bones to the top of the building, dismantled them little by little, and then buried them in the soil together.
The erosion of the long river of history has eroded the Ren family compound to a dilapidated state, and countless cultural heritage has been lost to natural and man-made disasters. Whenever he thought of those lost cultural relics, Ren Jinling felt extremely sad, and he had to do his best to avoid the tragedy from happening again.
(Cultural relics in the Ren family's ancient mansion)
In 2009, Ren Jinling finally waited for the day he dreamed of. After comprehensive investigation and evaluation, the Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics finally decided to list the Renjia Ancient Residence as a cultural relics protection unit in Zhengzhou. Since then, Ren Jinling is no longer a lonely guard of his ancient house.
Architectural relics experts conducted an overall study of the Renjia ancient residence, and the conclusion was very striking: buildings similar to the Renjia ancient house style are extremely rare in ancient Chinese architecture, especially in the right side of the Renjia ancient house gate is not in the center, which is unique in the ancient Chinese architectural structure.
Ren Jinling asked experts whether there is any explanation for such a layout, and experts say that this is called "phoenix double wings", which is the embodiment of the ancient people's architectural art. The style of the front hall is "holding the moon in the arms", which belongs to the large layout and the small layout, and the ingenuity is extremely exquisite.
With 44.5 meters from north to south and 22.5 meters from east to west, Renjia Ancient House is one of the most complete relics of existing ancient houses in the Central Plains, and has high scientific research value for the study of Qing history, Chinese architectural history and Central Plains folklore.
While marveling at the artistic value of the Ren family's ancient mansion itself, experts are even more incredible at how well preserved it is. Ren Jinling proudly said that this was the result of his solo guardianship, and the experts looked up and down at this skinny old farmer, and their eyes were full of awe.
In 2017, the specifications of the Renjia Ancient Mansion were upgraded again, and the Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau approved it to become the "Zhengzhou Tianxiang Museum". This is a private heritage museum, and Ren Jinling, who is in his sixties, deserves to become the director of the museum.
The name "Tianxiang" originates from the ancient name of Dongshima Village, "Tianxiang Village". Real estate development has demolished the quaint buildings in the village, and the former village has become a steel jungle, and Ren Jinling hopes to use this method to remind future generations to remember history and recognize their ancestors.
(TianxiangZhai ancient plaque)
The Tianxiang Museum is free for tourists, without charging any fee, and Ren Jinling also served as a docent with his wife Cui Lili, telling the story of the old house to everyone happily. He worked all his life as a manual worker, and it was not until his later years that he found his true professional interest.
The old couple started to worry about the museum every day when they got up together, they ran east and west, where they needed repairs and where they needed to be cleaned, they were busy enough. The reporter asked them whether they were tired of such an old age, and it was not difficult to see from their bright smiles that they enjoyed it.
In recent years, Ren Jinling has had a new expansion plan. Seeing that more and more college students and teenagers were visiting, he wanted to renovate the old bookstore into the appearance of a private school, and old cultural relics such as the Eight Immortals Table could also come in handy. He is putting this plan into action and believes that it will be open to the outside world in the near future.
(The old table and chairs in the ren family's ancient mansion)
In 2013, Premier Li Keqiang said in response to questions from Chinese and foreign reporters: "The new type of urbanization we emphasize is urbanization with people as the core. "What is people-centered? There is no better respect for history, respect for culture and respect for tradition.
Zhengzhou is a rapidly developing modern city, but also a historical and cultural city. How to achieve people-centered in the process of urbanization, the story of Ren Jinling and Ren Family's ancient residence gives us good inspiration.
When we are tired of the hustle and bustle of traffic, we may as well calm down and step on the dirt brick paved path. Perhaps those who exude the smell of earth are the eternal destination of our hearts.
When the modern reinforced concrete is gradually homogenized, so that traditional architecture, culture, etc. are slowly lost, such an ancient house carries the memory of an era. The Ren family's family style of not admiring vanity and not selling ancestral homes for wealth and fame is even more valuable and admirable.
So if you read this, it also happens to be the inheritance of such ancestral houses, how will you choose? Tell us what you think, and I'd like to hear more about it!