In Beijing’s Forbidden City, restorers use cutting-edge technology and traditional craftsmanship to preserve centuries-old artifacts and safeguard cultural heritage.
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| Beijing’s Forbidden City restoration project blends science and tradition to preserve 1.8 million artifacts, ensuring the survival of China’s cultural heritage. Image: ChicHue |
Beijing, China — March 24, 2025:
Inside Beijing’s Forbidden City, a place that once housed China’s emperors, experts are meticulously restoring centuries-old artifacts, combining modern scientific techniques with time-honoured craftsmanship. In a high-tech laboratory, a fragment of a glazed roof tile undergoes analysis using an X-ray diffraction machine, producing detailed images that help conservators understand its deterioration.
The restoration team, comprising around 150 specialists, investigates a darkened area on the tile’s surface to determine whether it is caused by environmental exposure or chemical changes within the material. “We need to understand exactly what the black substance is,” said Kang Baoqiang, a restorer at the site, which now operates as a museum drawing visitors from around the world.
Beyond advanced analysis, traditional restoration techniques remain crucial. In another room, experts carefully mend a silk panel featuring the Chinese character for “longevity,” believed to be a birthday gift for Empress Dowager Cixi. Using a delicate inpainting technique, restorers meticulously apply colour to worn sections, reviving its original appearance.
The Palace Museum houses more than 1.8 million artifacts, including scroll paintings, bronzes, ceramics, and European-made clocks once gifted to emperors. Each restoration project can take months, requiring precision and patience.
“I don’t think much about the grand mission of protecting cultural heritage,” said Wang Nan, a specialist working on the silk panel. “I simply take pride in seeing an artifact restored to its former beauty.”
Once the centre of imperial power, the Forbidden City was largely inaccessible to the public, earning its Western name. During World War II, many treasures were evacuated to prevent them from falling into Japanese hands. Later, during the Chinese Civil War, the defeated Nationalists transported some of the most valuable artifacts to Taiwan, where they remain in the National Palace Museum. Since then, Beijing’s Palace Museum has rebuilt its collection while advancing restoration techniques.
Although scientific tools now enhance conservation efforts, traditional craftsmanship remains at the heart of the work. “Restoring an artifact is about more than preservation,” said Qu Feng, head of the museum’s Conservation Department. “It is about safeguarding the cultural values it embodies for future generations.”