Yan's Model Art

Alief man creates miniature wonders

A native Chinese who relocated to the United States in 1995, Yan was a big name in the small-scale model-making circle in his homeland and a gold medalist at the 1985 International Naval Model Design Championship in Rastatt, Germany.

Yan started his model-making career in 1976, after receiving training in model ship making from China's state sports commission.

He crafted models for urban, industrial, medical and state military projects and exhibitions throughout China. He was especially noted for his making models for multinational joint ventures in geological exploitation.

In 1989, China National Offshore Oil Corp. commissioned him to create an offshore drilling rig as a gift to visiting former President George Bush.

His fame and craft landed him in Houston in 1996 for an Imperial Palace project with the Alief-based branch of Henny Investment Corp., of Hong Kong, after five months of preparation in the company's New York office.

The project, proposed northwest of Houston, would have been a 494-acre tourist attraction featuring Chinese Ming Dynasty architecture and imperial gardens.

After two years of preparation, land acquisition problems killed the project and Yan found himself stranded in Houston.

"I felt my new life in America had just begun, and I wasn't ready to call it quits," Yan recalled.

To put food on the table for his 3 1/2-year-old son and homemaker wife and to support his modeling hobby, Yan established a commercial and residential remodeling company and an exhibition technology company in southwest Houston.

"Business has been excellent," Yan said. "There's no need for advertising, and all my clients spread the word around after their projects are completed. I only wish I had a larger team, because orders have been lined up all the way to 2002."

Lying in bed in his cramped apartment after a long day, Yan leafed through photo albums of his masterpieces collected in China's national museums and displayed in exhibits in other countries. "Glory days, are they coming back here in America soon?" he asked hopefully.

Though language poses a major difficulty for him, Yan said he is blessed to live in Alief, where street signs are written in Chinese, and where he has made many friends who support and help him.

"Mr. Yan's models have caught my heart and soul," said James Tsao, a retired professor from Houston Baptist University.

Calling himself a veteran small-scale model connoisseur, Tsao said he had seen works by model makers of all levels. "Not a tiny crevice or an invisible disproportion can escape my eyes," Tsao said. "But a perfect craftsmanship is not enough to describe Mr. Yan's works. They have excelled all of the models I have seen before."

Yan admitted it's a challenge to create mini-models, such as his popular tiny yachts in whisky bottles that require the use of a magnifier.

"You can't miss a single antenna on the boat or it's not my work," Yan said. "I had a hard time thinking of the material to be used until it dawned upon me that I could use fibers of nylon socks, which are thin and firm."

In architectural models, often wood cannot be used to make structures meant to be wooden, he said, because it's impossible to find wood with grain fine enough to reflect the correct model-to-life proportion. So he uses appropriately colored paper of different textures to mimic different woods.

To make Columbus' Santa Maria, he delved into history and read nautical books. "The difference between my model and those you would see in a craft store is that mine is the result of a thorough research and made with absolute accuracy," he said. "For instance, there are many different kinds of rope knots used on the boat, each with an individual name and purpose. You won't find them on a model sold in the store."

Richard Harrison, president of Capitol Piping Products, praised Yan's work. "In my opinion, Mr. Yan may be the most achieved and talented model-making artist in his field in the world," Harrison said.

"His work not only demonstrates his profound knowledge of the oil field, petroleum products and equipment, but also his exquisite and creative craftsmanship," he added. "These pieces of art have helped the oil companies to compete in the international market."

Yan believes it's just a matter of time before his skills are more widely recognized and put to significant use.

Already, he has seen progress in his quest. Last week Yan was an honorary guest at the 33rd International Offshore Technology Conference at the Reliant Astrodome.
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