Passion for history drives antique machinery collector
- By Chen Xia
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China.org.cn, April 11, 2017
Tang Shigang, a painter based in Chongqing City in southwest China, is widely known for his collection of antique cast-iron machines, some dating back to the 1860s.
|
|
|
Tang Shigang amid his collection. [File photo] |
His collectibles are all big and tall, carrying the great weight of history.
The machines bear witness to China's early industrialization attempts from the late 19th century to the 1930s, when the country was poor and weak, but trying hard to catch up with the world.
Tang has 36 pieces of machinery in his collection. Some of them were imported from Germany, the United States, Switzerland and the former Soviet Union, while the others were made in Chinese arsenals during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
In the late 1880s, following a series of military defeats and territorial concessions to foreign powers, the Qing government initiated the “Self-Strengthening Movement” to learn from the West. Advanced foreign machinery was imported, and the country’s first modern factories were established. These factories played an important role in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945).
Of his collection, Tang says: “They remind us of the history, when China strived to keep pace with global industrialization process. They also showcase the tastes and wisdom of Chinese and foreign designers of the period.”
Tang, who was born in 1963, took a particular interest in metallic parts in his childhood. “I liked shiny industrial products. Metal shims, iron nails and chromium plated counterweights were all my favorites,” he recalls.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)