In a setting more akin to a high-tech laboratory than a museum, experts in Beijing’s Forbidden City are restoring centuries-old relics using advanced technology alongside time-honoured techniques. A fragment of a glazed roof tile undergoes analysis in an X-ray diffraction machine, generating detailed images to help conservators understand its degradation.
The restoration team, comprising around 150 specialists, is examining a darkened area on the tile’s surface to determine whether it stems from environmental exposure or internal chemical changes. “We want to know exactly what the black substance is,” said Kang Baoqiang, a restorer at the site, now a museum attracting visitors from around the world.
Beyond scientific analysis, the restoration process relies on traditional craftsmanship. In another room, experts carefully mend a panel of patterned green silk, believed to be a birthday gift for Empress Dowager Cixi. Using a technique known as inpainting, they meticulously apply colour to damaged sections, restoring its original beauty.
The Palace Museum houses over 1.8 million artifacts, including scroll paintings, bronzes, ceramics, and elaborate European-made clocks once presented to emperors. The painstaking restoration process can take months to complete.
“I don’t have grand ambitions about protecting cultural heritage,” said Wang Nan, a restorer working on a silk panel. “I simply take satisfaction in the sense of accomplishment when a piece is restored.”
The Forbidden City, once the centre of Chinese imperial power, was largely off-limits to outsiders, earning its Western name. During World War II, treasures were evacuated to prevent them from falling into Japanese hands. Later, during the Chinese Civil War, the defeated Nationalists transported many of the most valuable artifacts to Taiwan, where they remain in the National Palace Museum. Since then, Beijing’s Palace Museum has worked to rebuild its collection.
While restoration methods have evolved, traditional techniques remain central to the work. “When we restore an antique, we safeguard the cultural values it embodies,” said Qu Feng, head of the museum’s Conservation Department. “And that is our ultimate goal.”
Source: AP/UNB
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
