zhè gè yuàn tā shì míng mò qīng chū de

这个院它是明末清初的

This compound was built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties

zhàn dì duō píng mǐ lǐ biān yǒu duō jiān fáng zi

占地3000多平米，里边有70多间房子

It covers an area of over 3,000 m2 and has more than 70 rooms

nián de yuè wǒ jīng guò pāi mài huì mǎi guò lái

1997年的7月，我经过拍卖会买过来

I bought it in an auction in July, 1997

zǒng tóu zī sì wǔ bǎi wàn

总投资四五百万

I’ve invested around 4-5 millions

xiān hòu xiū le nián

先后修了16年

The renovation lasted for 16 years

dāng shí shān xī píng yáo shì gè pín kùn xiàn

当时（山西）平遥是个贫困县

At that time Pingyao (in Shanxi) was an impoverished county

xiàng zhè yàng dà guī mó de yuàn zhèng fǔ tā yě wéi xiū bù qǐ

像这样大规模的院，政府它也维修不起

Such a large-scale compound, even the government couldn’t afford to renovate it

suǒ yǐ tā xiàng shè huì pāi mài

所以它向社会拍卖

So it was on sale to the public

yī dǎ tīng dōu méi rén mǎi suǒ yǐ zài pāi mài huì jiù wǒ yī gè rén yào

一打听都没人买，所以在拍卖会就我一个人要

But nobody wanted to buy it in the auction, I was the only one

wǒ de míng zì jiào gěng bǎo guó shì gǎo qī yì de

我的名字叫耿保国，是搞漆艺的

My name is Geng Baoguo and I make lacquerware

mǎi de shí hòu huā le duō wàn

买的时候花了100多万

I bought the compound at the price of over 1 million

duì wǒ yī gè shǒu yì rén lái jiǎng què shí shì yī gè tiān wén shù zì

对我一个手艺人来讲，确实是一个天文数字

That was indeed an enormous number for a craftsman like me

nián qián zhēng xiān chuàng wàn yuán hù nà jiù le bù dé le

20年前，争先创万元户那就了不得了

20 years ago, it was really something if your family has an annual income or saving of 10,000

wǒ jiù shì dài le xiē kuǎn

我就是贷了些款

I obtained a loan

lìng wài gēn yī xiē qīn qī péng yǒu yě jiè le yī diǎn

另外跟一些亲戚朋友也借了一点

Then borrowed some from my relatives and friends

zhè yàng mǎi xià lái

这样买下来

That’s how I bought it

yīn wèi wǒ shì gǎo qī yì de

因为我是搞漆艺的

I make lacquerware

gàn zhè yī xíng yě nián le

干这一行也55年了

I’ve been doing this for 55 years

suǒ yǐ wǒ de mù biāo jiù shì bǎ zhè gè yuàn zuò wèi yī gè zuò pǐn qù zuò

所以我的目标就是把这个院作为一个作品去做

So my goal is to make the compound one of my works

bǎ wǒ yī shēng xué dào de dōng xī fàng dào zhè gè yuàn

把我一生学到的东西放到这个院

And to apply what I’ve learn throughout my life to it

píng yáo gǔ chéng lǐ miàn yī gòng yǒu chù gǔ yuàn

平遥古城里面一共有4000处古院

There are 4,000 ancient compounds in total in Pingyao

zhè gè yuàn de wèi zhì shì zài píng yáo zuì hǎo de shì gè sì pǐn guān de guī gé

这个院的位置是在平遥最好的，是个四品官的规格

Among them, this compound occupies the best position and could be the home of a four-grade official in ancient China

zhè gè yuàn jiù shì jì yù gāng de zǔ yè

这个院就是冀玉刚的祖业

It was an ancestral property of Ji Yugang

tā shì rì shēng chāng piào hào de zhǎng guì de

他是“日升昌”票号的掌柜的

Who was the keeper of Rishengchang (sunrise over prosperity) Bank

zài píng yáo jiù shì guī gé zuì gāo miàn jī zuì dà lì shǐ zuì zhǎng

在平遥就是规格最高、面积最大、历史最长

In Pingyao it has the largest scale, largest area and longest history

tā shì sān jìn liǎng yuàn guò dào tīng

它是三进两院过道厅

It has 3 halls, 2 courtyards and 1 hallway

jiàn shè fēng gé jiù shì zhèng fāng de wǔ gè yáo dòng shàng miàn qī gēn liáng

建设风格就是正方的五个窑洞，上面七根粱

The main hall consists of 5 house caves with 7 beams above

tā jiào wǔ jiān qī jià

它叫“五间七架”

Such a structure is called “Wu Jian Qi Jia” (five rooms and 7 frames)

dāng shí wǒ mǎi de shí hòu zhè gè yuàn pò làn bù kān de

当时我买的时候这个院破烂不堪的

The compound was collapsing when I bought it

tè bié shì èr lóu dǐng shàng de cǎo dōu nà me gāo

特别是二楼，顶上的草都那么高

Especially on the second floor, the grasses on roof were lush

zài jiā lǐ biān kě yǐ kàn dào tiān

在家里边可以看到天

You could see sky in the house

wǒ méi yǒu nà me dà de zī jīn

我没有那么大的资金

I didn’t have enough money

jiù shì zhuàn yī diǎn fàng yī diǎn

就是赚一点放一点

So when I earned some, I invested the money into it

guāng tǔ jiàn hé mù jié gòu wéi xiū jiù yòng le nián shí jiān

光土建和木结构维修就用了10年时间

I spent 10 years only on civil construction and wood structure

hòu nián wǒ jiù shì zhuāng shì nèi bù

后10年我就是装饰内部

For the later 10 years I did the decoration

zhí dào xiàn zài wǒ yī diǎn yī diǎn hái zài wéi xiū

直到现在我一点一点还在维修

Until now I continue repairing little by little

zài zhè gè zhōng jiān wèi le dá dào xiū jiù rú jiù

在这个中间为了达到修旧如旧

In order to restore the original ancient style

diāo kè jiù shì wǒ zhǎo nà xiē diāo kè de shī fù

雕刻就是我找那些雕刻的师傅

I found sculptors and digging workers

tǔ gōng yě dōu shì dǒng gǔ jiàn zhù de

土工也都是懂古建筑的

Who know about ancient architecture

wǒ men jiā mù gōng de shī fù zài wǒ men jiā xiàn zài yǒu nián le

我们家木工的师傅在我们家现在有20年了

The carpenter has been working for us for 20 years

tā yī zhí dōu shì wéi xiū zhè gè yuàn

他一直都是维修这个院

He’s been renovating the compound

mén lóu dà yuē xiū le yǒu sì wǔ gè yuè

门楼大约修了有四五个月

Maintenance of the door lasted around 4-5 months

wǒ zài zhè gè yuàn mǎi yī xiē shí diāo yě hǎo zhuān diāo yě hǎo

我在这个院买一些石雕也好，砖雕也好

The stone carvings or brick carvings I bought for this compound

tā jī běn shàng dōu shì míng qīng qián nà gè shí dài de

它基本上都是明清前那个时代的

They are all from the Ming dynasty or Qing dynasty

wǒ liàn le shí jǐ nián zì

我练了十几年字

I’ve been practicing calligraphy for decades

zhè gè zhǔ yuàn de gāo shān yǎng zhǐ

这个主院的高山仰止

The plaque “Gao Shan Yang Zhi”(A man of virtue receives respect and awe) in the main hall

nà gè biǎn cóng xiě zì dào zhì zuò dào kè dōu shì wǒ yī gè rén bàn de

那个匾从写字到制作到刻都是我一个人办的

I finished it all by my own, from writing to crafting to carving

wǒ mǎi yǐ qián zhè gè yuàn yǒu hěn duō gù shì

我买以前这个院有很多故事

There were many tales about the compound

jī běn shàng dōu shì guǐ de gù shì

基本上都是鬼的故事

Most of which were about ghosts

wǒ wèi le bǎ zhè gè yuàn gǎo de xǐ qì yī diǎn

我为了把这个院搞的喜气一点

In order to make it look more auspicious and joyous

wǒ jiù bǎ shàng miàn cǎi huì le yī xiē

我就把上面彩绘了一些

I did some paintings

wǒ shǐ yòng le zán men zhōng guó hé xǐ cǎi huì

我使用了咱们中国和玺彩绘

Our Hexi paintings

shàng miàn de jīn dōu shì yòng de zhēn jīn zhēn jīn de

上面的金都是用的真金，24k真金的

The gold used is all genuine gold, 24K

píng yáo de lǎo de chuán tǒng yě shì zán men zhōng guó rén de chuán tǒng

平遥的老的传统也是咱们中国人的传统

The old traditions of Pingyao are also the traditions of our whole Chinese nation

dōng xī xiāng fáng guò qù jiù shì xiōng dōng dì xī zhè yàng qù zhù

东西厢房过去就是“兄东弟西”这样去住

In the past, the elder brother lived in the east wing and the younger brother in the west wing

xiàn zài hái shì zhè yàng de

现在还是这样的

Now it’s the same

wǒ dà ér zi zài dōng xiǎo ér zi zài xī zhè yàng qù zhù

我大儿子在东，小儿子在西这样去住

My elder son lives in the east with his family and the younger son in the west

wǒ gēn lǎo bàn zhù dào zhèng fáng

我跟老伴住到正房

I live in the principal room with my wife

liǎng gè rén zhù de wǔ gè yáo dòng

两个人住的五个窑洞

We occupy 5 house caves

zhù dào lǐ miàn dōng nuǎn xià liáng

住到里面冬暖夏凉

It’s warm in winter and cool in summer

féng xiǎo gāng tā pāi diàn yǐng de shí hòu tā yǒu yī gè měi shù biān jí

冯小刚他拍电影的时候，他有一个美术编辑

An art editor working for Feng Xiaogang

kàn le zhè gè yuàn tā jiù duì wǒ shuō

看了这个院他就对我说

Said to me when he visited the compound

shān xī de gǔ yuàn tā kàn le hěn duō hěn duō

山西的古院他看了很多很多

That he had seen a lot of ancient compounds in Shanxi

dàn shì nǐ zhè gè yuàn de wéi xiū shì dǐng jiān de zuì hǎo de

但是你这个院的维修是顶尖的，最好的

But this one was the top, the best

jīn nián wǒ suì le

今年我70岁了

I’m 70 years old this year

céng jīng yǒu rén jiù wèn wǒ

曾经有人就问我

People asked me

jiù shuō gěng lǎo shī nǐ bǎ zhè gè yuàn gǎo chéng bīn guǎn bù jiù zhuàn dà qián le ma

就说耿老师你把这个院搞成宾馆不就赚大钱了吗

“Master Geng, why don’t you renovate it into a hotel? You can make a good fortune from it”

dàn shì wǒ hái shì fàng bù xià wǒ de qī yì

但是我还是放不下我的漆艺

But I can’t give up my lacquerware

rén de yī shēng yīng gāi bàn yī diǎn shì liú yī diǎn hén jì

人的一生应该办一点事，留一点痕迹

You should do something and leave your trace throughout your lifetime