Master craftsman saved heritage architecture with traditional methods

Zhang Huilong (1895-1978), a native of Zhangzhuang Village in Tahui Town of Songjiang, came from a family of craftsmen in pottery and woodworking spanning four generations.

He began learning the craft with his father at a young age and was already able to work independently by the age of 20.

When repairing roofs, he could detect and fix leaks by stepping on the tiles without making any noise or breaking them. His secret was, "Riding the tile seams barefoot, walking with both hands together; turning over the tiles to find leaks, being careful and moving slowly."

He was also adept at constructing a dragon-shaped stove, and his secret was, "making the stove chamber large, with a round bottom, and the pot lower than an ordinary stove; the chimney was built large and tall." As a result, the stove could draw in air strongly, and flames could revolve from the stove's belly and rise, increasing the heat output.

Despite not being highly educated, Zhang was skilled in construction design and building. He was able to construct large-scale, complex and aesthetically pleasing halls and buildings without a single design drawing, relying only on his verbal commands to direct the construction process on-site.

He once built the front and back halls of a large building for the Yu family in Dongmen area, which had unique shapes and a tight structure, making it one of the famous halls in Songjiang. Unfortunately, his verbal commands are no longer passed down and have been lost over time.

At the age of 80, Zhang was hired as a master craftsman to guide the restoration of the famous Fangta Tower using traditional methods and innovative approaches to restore the tower to its former glory.