Preserving history through financial account books

There was a saying that once prevailed in the West: "Those who own the account book wield the power." Thus, some European kings kept the account books of their countries in their pockets even on the battlefield, including France's King Louis XIV.

True, many secrets are hidden behind the numbers of credit and debit columns in account books, no matter in the West or East.

The exhibition "Deke Erh's Southern Yangtze Delta Field Research: Artifacts of Traditional Chinese Banks" at Pudong Library provides a glimpse of the country's financial center nearly a century ago.

As if stepping into a time tunnel, visitors are taken back to the economic activities and financial operations of a bygone era. The exhibition features account books, checks and coins to weathered furniture and plaques.

The items on display are from the private collection of Deke Erh, a Chinese photojournalist who has been documenting life in the villages of Yangtze River Delta for decades.

Ti Gong

Erh, who began photographing historical Shanghai architecture in the early 1980s when not many people appreciated the significance of preserving the past, lives in a traditional Chinese-style home in Jinze, a watertown in suburban Shanghai's Qingpu District.

"As a man who grew up and grew older in downtown Shanghai, I am now quite accustomed to the countryside life," he said.

Born in 1959 in Shanghai, Erh comes from an affluent family. His grandfather was an officer in the United States Pacific Naval Fleet.

In the early 1980s, he became a pioneering freelance photographer in China, garnering fame for documenting the city's history and tumultuous changes through pictures of buildings, streets and people, as well as publishing a series of photography books, such as "A Last Look: Western Architecture in Old Shanghai" (1990), "Frenchtown Shanghai" (2000), "Old Villas in Shanghai" (2005) and "Art Deco in Shanghai" (2006).

Rather than resting on the laurels of his prior success, his inner voice continues to pull him out of his comfort zone.

Over the past 20 years, he has constantly been on the road, either capturing images in countries along the Silk Road or sailing on the sea. When he returns to Shanghai, he often buries his head in research and sorting out things he has collected over the past decades.

"I just find my time is not enough, as I have so many things to do on my list," he said. "Some say I am a provident collector, as I realized the value of old, ordinary objects a long time ago. However, this isn't the case, only because I saw the beauty in throw-away items like old furniture, lamps, suitcases and even fireplaces."

Erh said he bought two iron fireplaces housed in downtown villas that were about to be demolished to make way for an elevated highway many years ago.

"Believe it or not, I am now using one in my home. It was a pity that I didn't purchase more fireplaces at that time," he said. "Had I a chance to buy 100 of them, I would have presented an exhibition just for them. However, those fireplaces were treated like iron waste back then. Such a regret!"

Chinese history, in the eyes of many, merely documents the reigns of emperors and kings, as well as military and political leaders. But for Erh, the lives of ordinary people are important as well.

His interest in field research began in the 1980s for production of the album "50 Ancient Villages in the Southern Part of China," for which he collaborated with Ruan Yisan, an expert on ancient architecture protection.

"For me, the only approach to history is evidence, concrete proof of what the past was like," Erh said.

For example, one account book on display recorded the gifts the family members of a deceased relative received at a funeral.

"It was interesting to see the exact weights of rice and yards of fabric each person gave," Erh said.

Another account book of a local gallery documents the cost of inviting famous artists at that time, such as Qi Baishi (1864-1957) and Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), to do commissioned work for their clients.

"If you study these account books closely, you see a rich and complex social life in an age when people were more closely related than we are today," he said.

Ti Gong

In his oral history project which initiated in 2018, Erh interviewed 150 elderly people at a teahouse in Zhujiajiao, Shanghai's suburban Qingpu District, for a year and a half. It was then that he began to realize the importance of account books.

"These old people had different occupations in Zhujiajiao. Some had their own private banks, rice shops and drug stores, from whose account books we see money flowing from businesses to households and back again," Erh said.

Private banks began surfacing in Shanghai around 1776, designed to provide traders with checking and savings accounts at various branches in different areas.

"You can't imagine how efficiently the system operated in the past and how convenient it was," Erh said. "I hope to render a big historical background for Shanghai, tomorrow's core area of the international financial center, to the public."

Ti Gong

Q&A:

What inspired you to collect these account books and checks over the past decade?

I used to keep an account of how I spent my pocket money when I was a kid, and I have always been interested in notes that are taken down in words and numbers. The account books I collected over the past four decades offer an approach to understand and analyze the economic lives of villages in the Jiangnan area.

Which account book impressed you the most?

It was the account book of a person who came to Shanghai from another province. He recorded each expense in his ordinary life so I could see how he saved his income. For example, he learned how to make soap and purchased second-hand leather shoes. What impressed me most is that he still "lavished" his money to see movies and dramas occasionally.

In your eyes, what is the cultural trait of the southern part of China?

The prosperity of qianzhuang, or private banks, is a sign of our growing affluence in the southern part of the Yangtze Delta. It's the key to understand Jiangnan's cultural trait. Next, I am going to present an exhibition titled "A Glimpse of the Development of Society through One Man's Account Book."

What's the charm of living in the countryside?

I have more time to fully engage myself in my research. Also, I started to realize the unique lifestyle in the countryside. For example, my neighbors will leave some eggs at my door for a small favor I did for them.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, you stopped your sailing. Do you miss the sea?

I dearly miss my boat and the sea. My boat has been anchored at a port for two years, and I anxiously await the day I can sail again. A journey on the sea has always allured me, as well as my stays at places along the way.

What do the items you have collected mean to you?

The items I've collected are the historical proof I have. I try to find clues in them. Some of the exhibits were bought when I was taking photos of old things in the villages decades ago. At that time, it was difficult to focus the camera lens under the dim light, so I bought them all, which were quite cheap at the time. I then brought them back to my studio in Shanghai for better recording.

Have you thought of the best way to display these items?

It is better to have my own museum to house them and display them to the public, but this can't be done without government support.

Exhibition info

Date: Through March (closed on Mondays), 9am-8pm

Venue: Pudong Library

浦东图书馆

Address: 1F, 88 Qiancheng Road, Pudong New Area

浦东新区前程路88号大厅