Ancient artifacts are often found in poor conditions when unearthed, having deteriorated in the course of being buried underground over centuries, or having suffered deliberate damage prior to that. In restoring ancient artifacts, what are the principles guiding the work and what are the techniques employed so that they can be presented to the public as close to their original form as possible? Yu Jian, director of the Exhibition Protection Department at the Sanxingdui Museum, has the answers.