Royal Buddhist sanctuary near Beijing glitters again

The Temple of Potalaka was built in 1771, loosely modeled after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region. [Photo by Wang Kaihao/chinadaily.com.cn]

Though main restoration on construction has been finished, some follow-up auxiliary projects, such as on indoors decorative paintings, will continue until the end of this year.

"We don't aim to offer them brand new look," Tan Pingchuan, who hosts painting restoration, added. "Vestige of previous restorations is also part of history and needs to be maintained. We will reinforce and clean the paintings, but we don't draw something new."

And, the restoration will also offer abundant data and files of these World Heritage sites, according to Lu Qiong, deputy head of cultural heritage protection office under the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

"These files will set the foundation for further protection and display in the future," she said. "And, a long-term mechanism of preventive protection is to be established to enhance daily maintenance under more rigid supervision."