A state-of-the-art conservation center to "treat" ancient cultural relics in disrepair opened at Beijing's Palace Museum on Thursday.
The base, informally called the Relic Hospital, covers 13,000 square meters and boasts the nation's most-advanced restoration workshops, said Shan Jixiang, the museum's director.
A group of staff repair Chinese painting at a conservation center dubbed the "Relic Hospital", which opened on Thursday at Beijing's Palace Museum. The center is considered China's most advanced lab for cultural relic testing and restoration. /CFP Photo
"It is the largest cultural heritage conservation center in China," he said. "I hope it will become a hub for nurturing expertise, not only for China, but also worldwide."
The facility has a laser technology lab, a joint venture by China and Greece to share conservation experiences, and features a training center for the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.
2016 saw the release of the highly popular "Masters in the Forbidden City", a three-part documentary that followed experts at the museum. A feature-length version was screened at cinemas in December. The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, was home to the royal court between 1420 and 1912. Today, it houses more than 1.8 million sets of cultural relics.
A member of the restoration staff repairs ceramics at a conservation center dubbed the "Relic Hospital", which opened on Thursday at Beijing's Palace Museum. The center is considered China's most advanced lab for cultural relic testing and restoration. /China Daily Photo
"Traditional craftsmanship will be combined with modern methods, and the lives of cultural relics will be prolonged by the 'doctors'," Shan said, referring to experts at the new center, who, like medical doctors, wear white coats.
He added that the base will eventually be opened to tourists, although no time frame has been set.
(Story published by China Daily)
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