0240 Yinyutang House

A simple façade under a curled roof of ceramic tile hides a central courtyard with an open roof that lets the sunlight in. Koi shimmer and dart in the water of two stone rain pools. Carved wooden shutters open out from the second floor balcony where a blue silk jacket hangs from a line. A portrait of Chairman Mao stares out from the wall. Welcome…to Salem, Massachusetts. Every one of the 10,000 bricks and 50,000 tiles of a 200-year-old Chinese home – along with all its furnishings – was shipped here to the Peabody Essex Museum and meticulously reassembled. Even a single chopstick was packed, unpacked and wedged into its original place between a column and a wall. Apparently, a house divided can stand. #boyd #ceas #china #hacker