Relics experts are racing against the clock to repair thousands of antiques
that will be exhibited for the first time at the new location of the Capital
Museum - one of the largest museums in China in terms of collections.
Due to the small exhibition space of the museum's current location at the
Confucian Temple, most of the antiques have been kept in storerooms for decades,
said Curator Han Yong.
He said the museum is expected to move to its new location on Chang'an Avenue
at the end of next year, where the exhibition area is almost 20 times the
current one.
Liu Shulin, director of the museum's Antique Protection Centre, said the
repair work is so far the most thorough on the ancient treasures that have been
exposed to temperature changes, air pollution, radiation damage, pests and mould
over a prolonged period.
"The Confucian Temple is a cultural heritage site with a history of more than
700 years. We cannot make changes to the ancient temple," said Liu, adding that
the current storerooms and exhibition halls do not meet antique preservation
standards."
He said the repair work, which started in July last year, not only includes
the 3,000-5,000 antiques that will be exhibited at the new location, but also
covers the remaining tens of thousands that will be moved and stored in modern
temperature-controlled storerooms.
The Capital Museum, which opened to the public in 1981, has more than 120,000
sets of antiques, among which, 40,000 sets are cultural relics under State
protection.
"We now have four groups engaged in the repair of bronze ware, pottery and
porcelain, scripts and paintings, and silk fabric. These craftsmen are working
almost day and night," said Liu.
Lu Shuling, an expert engaged in ceramics restoration, told China Daily that
it takes at least two months on average to repair each item of porcelain and
pottery.
She said the majority of ceramics held by the museum were made during the
Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), and were normally smashed when they were unearthed.
"We need to stick the pieces together. For instance, an ancient pot with
beautiful decorative patterns of dragons and phoenixes was smashed into more
than 100 pieces when it was discovered at the ruins of the ancient capital city
of the Yuan Dynasty.
"After careful restoration, the pieces were pieced together and looked almost
exactly like what it had been. The non-professionals can hardly find any traces
of repairs," said Lu.
Wang Yarong, an expert in repairing silk fabric, said the old saying "slow
work brings forth fine skills" is very appropriate in terms of the restoration
of antiques.
Wang said the repair work on a silk fabric unearthed from a tomb of the
Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25) has taken three years, and the work is still
not finished yet.
"The fabric is very fragile. We use a kind of high-quality rice paper for
traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy to clean the fabric," said Wang.
Jia Wenxi, a renowned expert in the restoration of bronze ware, said his
centre has introduced modern technology and equipment in the repair of
antiques.
