Culture
19:59, 19-Jan-2018
Palace Museum works on Thangka restoration
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The Palace Museum restoration center in Beijing has been focused on restoring Thangka,
brightly colored Tibetan buddhist paintings on fabric, since it opened at the
end of 2016, Shan Jixiang, director of the museum, has said.
The workshop, dubbed a "Restoration Hospital," employs around 200 "doctors" to
analyze, examine, detect flaws or damage in relics and restore them using more
than 100 pieces of specialized equipment including 3D printers and scanners,
Shan said.
File photo of Thangka, colored Tibetan buddhist paintings on fabric, on display. /VCG Photo
File photo of Thangka, colored Tibetan buddhist paintings on fabric, on display. /VCG Photo
"The staff magnify a Thangka 100 times until every thread and piece of fabric
is clearly visible, so that the Thangka can be restored to its original state,"
Shan explained.
The center welcomes visits from both international restoration experts and the
general public to observe firsthand how it undertakes the protection of China's
cultural heritage.
It is located in the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City,and is the
largest cultural heritage restoration center in China.
Staff work at the "Restoration Hospital" amending relics. /VCG Photo
Staff work at the "Restoration Hospital" amending relics. /VCG Photo
The center conserves cultural relics, including textiles, wood, lacquer,
ceramics, metal, clocks, books, Thangka and murals and also replicates of
calligraphy and painting.
In 2016, some 76 percent of the Palace Museum was open to the public. Shan said
that in the future this will be extended to 85 percent.
2km
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency