The culmination of a logistical challenge and an artistic triumph, undertaken in 1997 by the Peabody Essex of Salem, is the relocation and restoration of an entire eighteenth century Chinese residence from a village in Anhui province. Opened to the public in 2003, Yin Yu Tang and its two accompanying galleries within the museum building are the destination of the Asian Arts and Culture Program Cultural Tour on Saturday, May 7, 2005. Attendees will enjoy a video presentation and guided tour of the site as well as a lecture by the museum’s curator, Nancy Berliner.

During the flourishing years of the Quianlong period (1736-95), a wealthy merchant commissioned the construction of a timber-frame house, with stone and brick curtain walls and a ceramic tile roof. Ornamentation in the form of sculpted stone column bases, large and elegant lattices, and clay ducks, birds and lotus flowers enhance the beauty of the house. “Huang called the new homestead Yin Yu Tang (‘Hall of Plentiful Shelter’), hoping to ensure protection for his family and their offspring in the years to come.” (Nancy Berliner)

The home did continue to house Huang’s descendents for over two hundred years, but by the mid-1980s, the last of them had moved to other areas, leaving the house abandoned and filled only with unwanted household goods. Local authorities cooperated with the Museum when it sought to save the house from certain destruction, and an impressive team of architects, carpenters, and conservators was assembled to execute the painstaking job of taking the building apart in 3,707 pieces, shipping it to Salem, and reassembling it as the sixteen-bedroom home it had originally been.

Places are still available for this unique tour for those interested in art, architecture, and Chinese history and culture. Tickets are $50 per person; UMass students are $35. The fee includes bus transportation, entrance fee to the museum, and the talk by the curator. The bus leaves the UMass Robsham Visitors Center at 8 AM and returns by 6 PM. Lunch is not included as there are numerous restaurants on the Museum Square. For tickets and information, please call 413-577-2486.