At home with change (3)

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"I have always wanted to restore it properly but never got around to it," the 72-year-old retired teacher says. "When the project started, I knew it was time."

An expert panel inspected Liu's abode. They snapped photos and revised a detailed restoration plan Liu had to approve.

Liu contracted labor and materials from a renovation company certified by the panel.

The old tiles were removed, cleaned and spackled with red clay and hay - a traditional mix to prevent leaks. They were then replaced on the original structure.

Broken bricks had to be replaced with intact ones from other houses, since the types of bricks from which Pingyao is built are no longer produced.

The pine gate was refurbished.

A supervisor checks Liu's home daily to ensure all materials and methods are authentically ancient. Each supervisor in the project visits more than 10 homes a day.

Liu says about 60,000 yuan ($9,800) of the 155,000 yuan restoration is subsidized in accordance with his house's historical value and damage.

Pingyao has so far invested more than 20 million yuan in the project, two-thirds of which is subsidized by the government and the Global Heritage Fund, Ji Taiping says.

A total of 190 households applied, and 28 have been restored. Renovations are ongoing at another 14.

The project's consequences are expected to expand beyond Pingyao.

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