Panel Discussion
Architectural Preservation and Modernity
Saturday, August 15, 2026 from 1—2:15 pm
Know before you go:
Location: Morse Auditorium
Included with admission; preregistration encouraged.
This program will be in English and Chinese, with live translation.
Artist Yao Desheng with one of his paintings on Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home's exterior, 2026. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Yao Wu/PEM.
23 years ago, Huizhou mason Yao Desheng was one of several Chinese workers who helped re-erect Yin Yu Tang at PEM. As part of his Huizhou masonry skills, Yao Desheng also executed all the decorative ink paintings on the home's exterior. This summer, Yao Desheng returns to PEM as part of an artistic residency to once again decorate the walls of Yin Yu Tang.
Join us for a panel discussion featuring Yao Desheng in conversation with Michael Dawson of Cole Company. Dawson worked on the re-erection of Yin Yu Tang in 2003 and today continues to be part of the team leading the ongoing preservation work on the home. Together, they will explore how their work on Yin Yu Tang has combined traditional skills with modern materials and techniques to preserve this fascinating Chinese home for the public. Yao Wu, PEM’s Huang Family Curator of Chinese Art and Culture, will moderate the discussion.
Learn more about the recent Yin Yu Tang preservation work.
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