A blacksmith in southern China has built a copper microcosm of
the Forbidden City, the world's largest surviving palace complex,
in his house.
Li Weimin, a Chaozhou local in Guangdong Province, recently
invited reporters to
appreciate his newly-finished work. Occupying almost an entire
room, Li's Forbidden City features 200 or more miniature palaces
and halls, including gates as small as nails that can be opened and
closed like real doors.
Using the skills he gained from his previous job, the
62-year-old retiree spent two years on the landscape, using up 30
kilograms of copper. He has also lacquered each model building with
gold.
Li said his next ambition is to build a landscape depicted in
the Song Dynasty (960-1279) scroll painting Along the River
during the Qingming Festival. The 5.28-meter-long original
features hundreds of humans and dozens of animals.
(CRI February 3, 2008)
