The restoration of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) murals in Yongle Palace, the largest Taoist temple in China, has started, said the Yongle Palace mural art museum.

Built from the early 13th to the 14th century, Yongle Palace in Ruicheng County in the city of Yuncheng, north China's Shanxi Province is the earliest, largest and best-preserved Taoist palace in China with a total area of 1,005.68 square meters.

The subject matter of the murals is very rich and reflects the lifestyle of the time. The painting skills are superb, comparable to the European Renaissance art treasures, known as the "Oriental Art Gallery."

This time the restoration will focus on the murals in the Dragon and Tiger Hall and Double Ninth hall or Chongyang Hall, comprising a damaged mural area of 195 square meters and 353 square meters, respectively.

Xi Jiulong, director of the Yongle Palace Mural Conservation Research Institute in Shanxi Province, said the Yongle Palace murals are world-renowned, and they were painted slightly earlier than those in the European Renaissance. The restoration of the Dragon and Tiger Hall and Chongyang Hall murals alone will take two years.

(With input from Xinhua)