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Beijing’s Palace Museum restores thousands of ancient Chinese treasures as it turns 100

The museum of imperial relics founded in the Forbidden City in 1925 has retrieved stored artefacts to restore and eventually put on show

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A conservator restores a relic at the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing. A new branch opening in the Chinese capital this year will show more of the museum’s vast collection of treasures. Photo: Reuters
Reuters

Depicting Taoist deities in a misty landscape, a Qing dynasty lacquer panel inlaid with jade and agate is among thousands of artefacts pulled out of museum storage in China to be restored, and one day, even showcased to the world.

“The bottom layer had shifted and loosened to the point where it was in a pulverised state,” said Sun Ou, who restores inlaid lacquer artworks at the Forbidden City, the former imperial palace in the heart of Beijing.

“More than 100 inserts had fallen off and had to be reinforced again,” she said.

The painstaking work to restore ornate treasures amassed by Chinese emperors in centuries past has accelerated in the past decade amid President Xi Jinping’s push to preserve China’s heritage and project its cultural power on the global stage.
A conservator restores a cultural relic at the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City. Photo: Reuters
A conservator restores a cultural relic at the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City. Photo: Reuters
A conservator restores a cultural relic at the Palace Museum. The restoration of treasures amassed by Chinese emperors in centuries past has accelerated in the past decade. Photo: Reuters
A conservator restores a cultural relic at the Palace Museum. The restoration of treasures amassed by Chinese emperors in centuries past has accelerated in the past decade. Photo: Reuters
The restoration and curation efforts of the cultural protection and restoration department of the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City come as the museum marks its 100th anniversary and prepares to open a new Beijing branch later this year in a state-of-the-art venue that could double or even triple the number of pieces on display.
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