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It’s early morning on a chilly December in central China’s Wuhan. In a rundown apartment in one of the city’s lanes, a beam of sunlight has only lit the narrow space. For many, the day hasn’t even started but 69-year-old Yan Minyi has the same kind of youthful energy when he started the project at the age of 44. 

Yan is a miniature craftsman, but he isn’t just an ordinary one. He is among a handful of people reproducing miniatures of the Ming-style furniture in a bid to preserve the style and aesthetics of China’s intangible heritage inherited from the Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty.

穿过武汉青山区厂前街的一条老巷，有一栋简陋的筒子楼。

阳光斜卧在二楼长长的走廊里。尽头，69岁的阎民怡搬来一个红木大箱子。

里面都是他在十年里做的50余件明式微缩家具：八仙桌、圈椅、太师椅、卧榻、老式面盆架...

有的可卧于掌间，有的只有一个指甲盖这么大。

阎民怡小心翼翼地把它们一件件地拿出来，放在垫了报纸的圆桌上。

他又从里屋拿出一个小铁盒，里面用纸包裹着一套极小的木工工具。阎民怡像找见了宝贝一样，情不自禁地咧嘴笑了。

Today, he has come a long way, setting two Guinness World records in 1999: making the smallest Ming-style furniture and using the smallest tool in traditional carpentry. 

In his living room, he opens a red wooden chest and one by one shows the 50 miniature Ming-style furniture that he has produced, some small enough to fit on his palm and others as big as a nail: round-backed armchair, couch an 45 32517 45 14940 0 0 1993 0 0:00:16 0:00:07 0:00:09 3186 45 32517 45 14940 0 0 1673 0 0:00:19 0:00:08 0:00:11 3063d basin stand, among others. 

He then opens his toolbox, his tools even smaller than the furniture he make. 

麻雀虽小，五脏俱全。他拿出墨斗，墨斗在他的指肚间快看不见了。

他给墨仓灌上墨水，用浸润了墨汁的墨线，在木条上画出笔直的黑线。这套小工具可观赏，可实用。

1999年，阎民怡获“世界上最小的传统木工工具”和“世界上最小的明式家具”两项吉尼斯纪录。

然而，阎民怡并非行家出身。退休前，他是武汉市武治机修厂的一名普通职工。

“In 1982, I saw photos of Ming-style furniture in the magazine,” his thoughts travel back in time, fondly reminiscing the early years. “When I started researching heavily, I realized that it is one of the most sophisticated furniture in China’s history and also a highly valued treasure in the world.”   

“1982年的一天，我在一本家具杂志上，看到了明式家具的照片，感觉到世界上家具也有这么美的，就感到兴趣。经过一段时间的积淀，认识到明式家具是世界家具史上不可磨灭的珍宝，也是中国家具发展的最高阶段。”

“I like simplicity – so are the Ming-style furniture,” he elaborates on his fascination. “When something is really simple, it’s difficult to translate that simplicity because you’ll be able to spot the slightest flaws.” 

“我喜欢简洁，简洁是最难的。明式家具正是这样，简洁到不能再简洁了。一笔是败笔，一览无余。所以减法是最难的。加法，不见得它底蕴。”

Ming-style furniture are known for their simplicity and also intricate design. Made during the 15th and 17th centuries in China, they exemplify China’s traditional carpentry design. It reveals the beauty of geometry and practicality, marks the highest achievement in ancient Chinese furniture making and exerts a far-reaching impact on the world.

明式家具一般指从万历年到清前期，以花梨木、紫檀木等为主要用材的优质硬木家具。它是在宋代、元代家具基础上发展起来的，以造型优美、风格简约、结构科学享誉中外。

没有一根钉子，没有一颗螺丝，全是用榫卯结构咬合，天衣无缝。阎民怡说，明式家具的灵魂是它的榫卯结构，而当时的榫卯应用已达到了巅峰。

“作为人体工程来说，明式家具特别符合人体的结构，比如圈椅，S的造型，人靠下来，每一个支撑点都能支撑柱，扶手自然地悬落，十分舒适。榫卯结构，到那时候已经完美到无可替代了。” 

But with time, many furniture from that time period have been destroyed, and along with it any records of its existence. Yan claims there are only around 1,000 pieces of Ming-style furniture are around the world.  

He takes deep breaths and puffs his cigarette explaining why he was attracted toward it. 

“Some Chinese, they have little understanding of the Ming-style furniture and some just appreciate for their monetary  value,” he says, adding how he has seen people destroying or selling those antique pieces without realizing their importance. 

“When they are ruined and beyond repair, no one would ever know how it originally looked,” he adds. “It makes me sad. So I wish I can let people know more about it by reproducing these furniture in miniature.” 

阎民怡说，现存的明式家具只有1000余件，破坏一件，少一件。一想起珍宝受破坏，阎民怡忍不住感叹。

“陕西有一个校长，家里有一对黄花梨的玫瑰椅，雕刻精美，他把扶手和靠背锯掉后，做了家里适用的东西。这就让人觉着不可理喻。破坏了的东西，是永远也无法修复的。甚至连原貌永远都没有人能知道了。还有一个朋友，把一把万历柜，卖给外国人了。当时就觉得有些中国人，对明式家具不太理解，有些理解只是从价值上理解，这些家具的流失和损坏让我非常痛心。希望自己能对明式家具好的精品，进行缩微复制。”

But producing miniature furniture while retaining all the intricacies is not an easy task. Also, he didn’t have a teacher to guide him. So he read books, researched, took notes and spent his time outside his day job at a factory to make these miniatures. It was trial and error until he figured out what he calls “perfect proportions,” which allows people to see the mortise-tenon structure clearly without losing its characters. 

然而，难点来了，做多大才合适呢？

太小了，便没有气势。

在经过反复考量后，最后他定了七分之一的比例，既能看清所有的榫卯，又不失气势。

“I was totally into it,” he says. “During the first 10 years, I never watched TV, survived on instant noodles and cut myself from the outside world.”

阎民怡回忆说，那段时间要上班，所以常是半夜制作。因为没有师父带，古代榫卯的结构又特别复杂，所以全要靠自己摸索。遇到难点了，就随时记录下来。在厚厚的一摞笔记中，一句话这样写道“每一件都有它最重要，最突出的部分，这一点一定要做到极致。”

“可以说那是完全投入的阶段。十年里，没看过电视，没有时间做饭，吃了100多箱方便面。有一次，3个月没有下楼，头发长的，走到肖家湾，看到什么都是新鲜的。”他笑道。

Almost 25 years later since he started working on his personal project, Yan says he is too old to continue working. He picks up one of his pieces and looks at it, clearly lovestruck. All of the 50 pieces he have crafted, he says, are like his children. 

干一行，就要对这一行敬业。一投入，便是十年。50余件微缩家具，他视如子女。毕竟，每一件都倾注了心血，有感情了。

“扔是一种规律，但是有些东西，带感情的东西不在规律之中。”

每一种类，阎民怡只做一件。他说，他不喜欢重复的东西。千篇一律，还有美感可言吗？

“Once something is destroyed, its memories fade slowly” Yan says. “In China, there are many treasures from the past, they should be protected and valued. If not, one day, people would regret it.” 

“这就跟现在有些城市，比如西安的西大街，拆了后，修了仿古一条街，原始的东西再也回不来了。这些拆去的，是拆去了人的记忆和怀念。拆去的，就是你的乡愁。拆去的东西永远都不能返回了，而返回了的也不是原来的东西了。永远没有你的过去了。乡愁，就没有寄托了。其实，对中国好多东西，该遗留的，慢慢的，人们会认识到越来越多的惋惜。”

Kevin Macleod’s song “Heartbreaking” used in accordance with permission granted: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100208

Artist: ‍http://incompetech.com/

Chris Zabriskie’s song “I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor” used in accordance with permission granted: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/honor/

Artist: ‍http://chriszabriskie.com/