Cooperating for posterity

Several rooms within the Hall of Consolation of Mothers (Ci Ning Gong) are now being used as temporary studios, and the work will move into the north complex at the end of this year when it is completed. Visitors will then be able to view the progress of the repairs.

"We cannot afford any delay since many of the masters are advanced in years," says Sun Ying, a state-level inheritor of opera costume making.

In 2003, Sun and the Beijing Opera Costume Factory reproduced more than 200 pieces of ritual equipment once used for royal weddings in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kun Ning Gong).

Sun tells us that restoration is much more difficult than reproduction.

Shan says some of the repaired objects will be used. For example, the Palace of Longevity and Health (Shou Kang Gong) will be restored to its former glory, which means the Palace Museum will need a great number of lanterns and pieces of two-sided embroidery. More than 40 trainees are now working on them with the master craftsmen.

For craftsmanship that is already extinct in Beijing, museum experts are searching far and wide for the best heritage craftsmen from all over the country.

Wang Jianjiang is a sixth-generation craftsman specializing in the art of K'o-ssu silk tapestry. He was invited to Beijing for the project.

The 50-year-old says these tapestries were very precious in the past, so they are only used on the emperor's dragon robes.

"K'o-ssu is more difficult than embroidery. It is woven layer by layer to create a sculptured texture," says Wang, who was prepared for his task with a one-week training session on safety.

"Fabrics are very fragile. It can take up to three years to repair just one piece," says Miao Jianmin, the Palace Museum's director in the Cultural Heritage Conservation Department.

Museum Director Shan says that the whole restoration project will be well documented, so later generations will learn about the materials and techniques.