By Bao Yafei and Han Jing

Several elderly people over the age of 80 and a woman living on welfare have been guarding a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) house because parts and items are frequently stolen because of their historical value.

Half of the house has collapsed, and the old men have covered some parts of it with wooden boards. They know that the protection method is too weak to prevent the house from collapsing completely.

“We knew it wouldn’t last long. The house could collapse suddenly at any time,” said the 81-year-old Chen Tianyi, adding that he’s wanted the house to be repaired for years. “The pattern and carving of the windows are so beautiful. It is a shame to leave it alone without any protection,” said a woman surnamed Qi.

“Many thieves come and go with some beautiful parts of the house.” A man who lived near the house said theft is rampant. “Thieves steal everything that they can move.” “Seven or eight years ago, thieves frequently came at night. They stole the most expensive parts,” Qi said.

Six families used to live in the house. Three lived in the eastern half and the rest in the western part, Chen said. Chen lives in this house during the daytime. “There isn’t anything left in the eastern part. We are now protecting the western part.”

The pattern of the wooden door is covered by a board to deter looters. It is said the pattern is taken from the four episodes of the well-known Chinese drama Romance of the West Chamber. The old house is actually a household name in the Jinchen town of Lin’an city in west Zhejiang, for the delicate carvings on one hand and the magic echoing wall for another.

Zheng Zhonggen, an official of the local cultural relics department of Lin’an, said that the house is on the historic construction list and it needs to be conserved, but there are no plans to repair it in the next three years. Zheng said, there are 1,328 relics in Lin’an and this year, they will repair 34 of them. If the house is really in danger, they will contact other officials and try to put the house into the next reparation plan, he added. “A historic house is a non-renewable resource of the city. The house must be repaired as soon as possible,” Zheng said.