Palace Museum remembers a pioneer

The Palace Museum in Beijing, also known as the Forbidden City, held a forum on Dec 11 in honor of Shan Shiyuan, the former deputy director of the museum and a pioneer in protecting ancient structures in China.

Shan began to work in the Forbidden City categorizing files in 1924, a year before this former royal palace complex was accessible to the public.

He dedicated his life to studies and conservation of ancient architecture in the Forbidden City.

And he did major renovation of the palace complex in the 1950s and the 1960s, by nurturing traditional craftsmanship.

Besides, he built up the earliest management framework overseeing ancient architecture in the museum.

Systems protecting the wooden architecture from fire and lightning strikes were also installed under his guidance.

From the late 1970s to the 1980s, Shan, as a member of the national committee of China People’s Political Consultative Conference, advocated protection of historical structures all over the country.

Meanwhile, an exhibition displaying his manuscripts, books, and other files, also kicked off on Dec 11 in the southeast turret of the Forbidden City, and it will last until May.

Separately, the museum said that it will hold other exhibitions on major “conservators” of the palace.

This year marks Shan’s 110th birth anniversary. He passed away in 1998.