'Master In Forbidden City', a documentary recording daily work of culture relic restorers in the Forbidden City, hit 2 million views online last year. The craftsmanship spirit embodied in these restorers inspired a lot of people to learn more about culture protection and relic restoration.
Clock restorer Wang Jing examines one relic. / Weibo
Ironically, given thousands of unprecedented delicate relics reserved in the palace, restorers are leaving one by one as they are too old to continue contributing to the field.
“A lot of senior restorers are retiring,” said curator Shan Jixiang. “Apprentices we've educated cannot continue working here after the three-year training as they do not have their Hukou registration in Beijing.”
According to the restoration department, it may take hundreds of years to restore all of the relics in the Forbidden City, given the number of restorers currently at work.
CFP
To cultivate young talent in relic restoration, the Forbidden City restoration department firstly held relic restoration and conservation courses at a college based in Beijing in 2015. Experts from the department led the courses.
Unfortunately, however, graduates are ineligible to work for the Forbidden City, as technical school certificates do not meet the minimum recruitment requirement of a bachelor degree.
CFP
This year, Beijing Union University cooperated with the Forbidden City and a technical school, opening a 7-year bachelor degree course on relic restoration and conservation. It aims to recruit 30 middle school graduates who are passionate in history and Chinese culture. The degree includes courses of architecture protection, Chinese art history and China ceramic study. These subjects may not be covered in normal high school education.
However, as this program is exclusively open to students whose Hukou registration in Beijing, netizens expressed their disappointment on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
CFP
“I suggest the selection of potential skilled restorers should be open to the nation, so as to recruit people who are really keen on history and culture relics. The Forbidden City is a culture site belonging to China but not only Beijing residents,” said @Sudaoming.
“Is it a bit unfair? Those students who have Beijing Hukou have privileges,” said @Fengjingruhuasuperman.
Netizen @Fahrenheitilli instead argued back with the possible concerns of the department: “Inhabitants could afford the living expense with the lower pay as they don't need to worry about rent, which means they may stay longer than others.”
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