About the Yi Zhi Tang Collection

In 1997, Berkeley puzzle enthusiasts Wei Zhang and Peter Rasmussen traveled to Suzhou to search for an old craftsman mentioned in a forty-year-old Chinese puzzle book. They discovered that the puzzle maker had long since passed away but succeeded in locating his descendants and recording his story (retold in the video on the home page).

While in Suzhou, Wei and Peter found a beautiful brass nine linked rings puzzle at the weekly antique market outside Confucius Temple. That purchase was the beginning of a fifteen-year odyssey around China, Europe and east coast of the United States during which the couple collected over 1500 antique Chinese puzzles and documented their histories. The collection was named Yi Zhi Tang (art and intelligence collection) in recognition of the exquisite craftsmanship employed in creating the old puzzles.

In 2008, the first public exhibition of the Yi Zhi Tang collection was held at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco. During 2010 and 2011, the collection was exhibited at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York. Additional exhibitions are now in the planning stage. The Yi Zhi Tang collection will eventually return to a permanent home in China where people of all ages will be able to view the beautiful antique puzzles and play with modern versions of them.

About the Classical Chinese Puzzle Project

The Classical Chinese Puzzle Project (C2P2) was incorporated as a non-profit organization in January 2000. Its mission is to assist in the preservation and revival of classical Chinese puzzles during an era in which many traditional activities and art forms have become endangered. To further this goal, C2P2 has:

First meeting of the Beijing Puzzle Research Group, May 2000

• Conducted its own research on the history of classical Chinese puzzles and sponsored the activities of the Beijing Puzzle Research Group, an organization of Chinese puzzle makers, puzzle writers and puzzle enthusiasts affiliated with the Beijing Toy Association;

• Sponsored over a dozen Chinese puzzle makers, puzzle researchers and magicians to attend conferences, participate in cultural exchanges and perform in the United States and Japan;

• Published Chinese Puzzles: Games for the Hands and Mind and launched this web site to generate interest among the general public about traditional Chinese puzzles;

• Curated major Chinese puzzles exhibitions at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and the Museum of Chinese in America in New York City; conducted puzzle workshops for schools, museums and other organizations; and initiated discussions on the establishment of a Classical Chinese Puzzle Museum in China.

The Classical Chinese Puzzle Project is currently conducting research on a village in central China that specialized in the production of traditional puzzle locks during the late Qing dynasty.

Contact information:

Wei Zhang,
Peter Rasmussen,
Classical Chinese Puzzle Project
PO Box 10191
Berkeley, California 94709
USA

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