Re-created ironed paper models bring a lost craft to life

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A view of the re-created ironed paper models of the Qianlong Garden on display at the Palace Museum in Beijing. /CGTN

A set of re-created models of the Qianlong Garden, located within Beijing's Palace Museum, offers a glimpse into a model-making technique unique to China.

A view of the re-created ironed paper models of the Qianlong Garden on display at the Palace Museum in Beijing. /CGTN

A re-created ironed paper model of the Building for Enjoying Lush Scenery in the Qianlong Garden is on display at the Palace Museum in Beijing. /CGTN

Made primarily of paper, tangyang (ironed paper models) are three-dimensional models that were used in construction projects to present proposed designs and guide construction and installation. Archival records show that at least one complete set of such models was produced during the planning of the Qianlong Garden, a private retreat for Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). However, only a few fragments of the Qianlong Garden tangyang have survived. As the Qing Dynasty declined, the craft of making ironed paper models was gradually lost.

A view of the re-created ironed paper models of the Qianlong Garden on display at the Palace Museum in Beijing. /CGTN

The models on display in the Qianlong Garden were re-created based on the Palace Museum's research into mid-Qing techniques for making tangyang, bringing this lost craft back to life.

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