The hall is surrounded by carved beams and painted columns, after entering the atrium, you can see a circle of hollow carved red fences, the high ceiling above the head is like a regular chessboard, depicting a pale green pattern, clean and refreshing, in the middle hangs a long antique palace lamp of more than 2 meters, antique, the bright sunlight shines obliquely through the surrounding sash skylight, in a trance, the eyes seem to re-emerge in front of the store of all kinds of silk like smoke, customers shoulder to shoulder with the hot scene. This is the reporter's initial feeling when he walked into the former site of Ruifu Xianghongji in Hongqiao District.
"Everywhere in this place is history! Even the brick you stepped on is more than a hundred years old! The person who said this was Fan Shengping, a representative of the District People's Congress, who is also one of the new guardians of this century-old store.
As early as the early years of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1875), Ruifuxiang opened in Tianjin, with its high-quality cloth and customer-oriented service concept, it jumped to the top of the "Eight Great Xiang" at that time, and began to add Ruifuxiang Hongji, Ruifuxiang West and Ruifuxiang Qingji in 1908, the shop is getting bigger and bigger, and the trade is getting hotter and hotter.
"The building we are in now is the former site of Ruifu Xianghongji." Fan Shengping said that although it has changed hands several times and suffered varying degrees of damage and illegal renovation in the past century, it is now the most well-preserved commercial cultural relics building in Tianjin after careful restoration.
"At a glance, it is a dilapidated old house, the walls have been cracked, the two windows at the door have been opened into doors, the signboard of Ruifu Xianghongji is blocked by the signboard of the merchant, the wall is also plastered with cement and tiles, the hall inside is divided into a grid, the back has become a warehouse, and the backyard is burned down...... This is the impression that Fan Shengping and his old friend Mr. Zhang took over Ruifu Xianghongji in 2014 and saw it for the first time. When he mentioned it again, he still couldn't hide his heartache, and couldn't help but sigh that because the importance of cultural relics in the past was not as good as now, the beautiful Ruifu Xianghongji a hundred years ago is now unrecognizable, without a trace of history, which is too regrettable.
The two have always had a deep affection for ancient buildings, and in their view, traditional ancient buildings record the historical story of a city, which should be inherited and protected. Therefore, they are determined to do their best to make Ruifu Xianghongji "reborn". "I'm from the old Hongqiao, I grew up in this area, and I have seen this building decay little by little, and I have always hoped that it can be restored. Now he uses his own strength to repair and restore his former glory, which can be regarded as a wish. Fan Shengping, who is 71 years old this year, said.
In 2017, with the support of the Hongqiao District Party Committee and the District Government, the two successfully connected with the District Cultural Relics Bureau, and under their guidance and help, they carried out preliminary work such as material preparation, application, and filing for the repair project, and contacted professional institutions to conduct a safety survey of the building. The results of the investigation were even more serious than Mr. Zhang expected, with cracks in the wooden lintels, loose upper walls, leaking roofs, and deformed exterior doors and windows. But thankfully, the building is made of brick and wood and steel, which is structurally more durable.
Huge and complex renovation works began. "The repair of ancient buildings pays attention to the principle of repairing the old as the old, and the restoration is the most difficult, the selection of materials and colors, each of which must be meticulous, and the retention that can be retained, and the restoration of the original state without making any changes." Fan Shengping said that to this end, they entrusted the design institute of Tianjin University to restore the design and restoration plan for the entrance door and the indoor atrium, and consulted experts many times, consulted historical data and architectural style data, and compared historical photos to modify the design and restoration details one by one to determine the final restoration plan. During the restoration process, in order not to cause harm to the cultural relics, the original appearance of the decoration and carving on the cement seal outside the gate was chiseled out by the workers little by little, and the stairs and floor tiles on the second floor also retained the appearance of a hundred years ago.
"We just repaired the damage, there is really no way to study, and it was also designed by professionals, as much as possible in line with the architectural style and historical scene of the time, including every pattern on the beam, which is designed by a special person, painted by craftsmen, and each shape has its special meaning......" Talking about the bricks and tiles here, Fan Shengping is like a few treasures, and every word reflects the love for this old building.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to protect the city's historical and cultural heritage as if it were our own lives. Since the site of Ruifu Xianghongji is destined to be in our hands, it is our responsibility, and it is necessary for us to take the responsibility of inheriting this and repairing and protecting the historical memory of this city. In the past 10 years since the takeover, we have invested all our savings to do this thing, a brick here, a door frame is our painstaking efforts, and after the restoration is completely completed, we will develop from the cultural industry, protect and make good use of Ruifu Xianghongji, and pass on this historical story from generation to generation. Mr. Zhang said.
Today, the restoration work of Ruifu Xiang Hung Ji is still in progress, and its original appearance is gradually revealed. It is believed that when it reappears in the world, it will carry its historical imprint and characteristic charm, and vividly tell the vicissitudes of a century with a new look.