日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Culture
Home / Culture / Heritage

Cultural relic restoration in need of repair as a trade

Xinhua | Updated: 2019-01-07 07:44
Share
Share - WeChat
Chen Genquan, a cultural relics repairer, is engaged in some woodwork in Qufu, East China's Shandong province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

JINAN-Chen Genquan lays down the rasp, removes the sawdust and narrows his eyes to check a wooden chair that has regained its original glory.

Chen, 65, is one of the cultural relics repairers in the city of Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius in East China's Shandong province.

Confucius, who lived between 551 BC and 479 BC, was an educator and philosopher. He founded the school of Confucianism that has deeply influenced later Chinese generations.

"The key to repairing wooden artifacts lies in keeping their original appearance unchanged," Chen says.

He has worked in a cultural relics repair team for over 35 years.

The team is in charge of restoring ancient wooden buildings and artifacts for the Confucius Temple, the Confucius Family Mansion and the Confucius Cemetery, which together are a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the three largest ancient building complexes in China.

Incredible craftsmanship

The sun rises on the same tidy yard and shines onto the three roofs of the 1,000-year-old Kuiwen Hall, a major building, which used to be a library in the Confucius Temple.

In 1985, the onerous task of fixing the structural problems of the hall fell upon the team's collective shoulders. This was the first large-scale restoration of the Kuiwen Hall since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

During the restoration, most of the wooden components, especially the roof ridges, were repaired or replaced.

"Cultural relics are history within reach. As a repairer, I'm responsible for preserving that heritage," Chen says, adding he worked nine hours a day for two years to complete his part of the work.

Regular checks and restoration of the ancient wooden buildings are conducted twice a year by Chen's team to deal with problems such as erosion caused by humidity. Often, Chen and his colleagues have to go through dozens of historical books and materials before the restoration work can begin.

In the repair team's workshop, a stone's throw away from the Confucius Temple, a dozen experienced relic repairers are busy measuring, sawing and sanding, with tools and wooden boards scattered everywhere.

Chen (left) and his colleagues work to restore ancient wooden structures and artifacts for the Confucius Temple. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chen's desk is located in the corner of the workshop, upon which books related to ancient building renovation are piled.

In the past, he could not afford to buy books and used to copy the books he borrowed. In 1987, he bought his first book for 6 yuan-three days worth of wages.

Artisans like Chen are in great demand in the industry. Chen and the 50 other members of his team are often invited to other places in the country to share their knowledge on the restoration of wooden relics.

"Their reputation not only comes from their techniques and experience, but also people's respect for their craftsmanship," says Kong Deming, deputy director of Qufu's ancient building project management bureau.

Talent shortage

Chen has seen many people come and go. In the 1990s, many colleagues left the team to build antique-style wooden buildings with private companies for higher salaries.

"I never thought about leaving. Cultural relic restoration has unrivaled meaning and value for me," Chen says.

A survey showed that more than half of the cultural relics in China are suffering from erosion of varying degrees. Nearly 20 million relics are in urgent need of professional restoration. However, the industry faces an aging problem. The youngest member of Chen's team is 50 years old.

Kong says repairing relics has become less attractive, as machines can do a lot of the work, and young people are turned off by the arduous working conditions and long training period. Artisans like Chen who handle immovable cultural heritage have to work outside in the sizzling summer or biting cold winter.

"Getting hurt is an inevitable part of our daily work," Chen says, showing a scar on his right leg. "Craftsmanship has nothing to do with money, it has become a belief, driving my teammates and me forward. I hope more talented young people will understand that and join us."

China has already stepped up its efforts to solve the problem.

In October, the country's first national-level competition on cultural relic restoration was held in Qufu to highlight the importance of craftsmanship. A total of 111 skilled workmen participated in the contest.

Li Yongge, former director of the Palace Museum's ancient building repair center, says competitions like this can help China find more skilled workers in the relics restoration field.

"Relic restorers deserve more respect in our society. They save our cultural heritage from the ravages of time and make ancient culture and history come alive," Kong says.

Most Popular
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲资源在线视频 | 日韩一区二区三区在线 | 奇米奇米777 | 三级理伦 | 国产精品视频免费 | 亚洲码在线 | 欧美精品亚洲一区二区在线播放 | 五月婷婷久| 久久天堂色 | 成人嘿嘿视频网站在线 | 综合色播| 国产麻豆 | 欧美午夜一艳片欧美精品 | 一级寡妇乱色毛片全18 | 99久久人妻无码精品系列性欧美 | 欧美aⅴ| 那格格| 99久久精品国产一区二区三区 | 免费在线一区二区 | 欧美成人精品不卡视频在线观看 | 成人在线播放网站 | 久久久国产精品 | 免费国产黄频在线观看视频 | 欧美日韩在线免费 | 国产精品97| 中文字幕国产日韩 | 国产精品视频播放 | 精品欧美亚洲韩国日本久久 | 国产精品片一区二区三区 | 国产毛片片精品天天看视频 | 成年网站在线观看 | 狠狠操网站 | 日a在线| 欧美激情黄色 | 欧美在线观看一区二区 | 九色九色九色在线综合888 | 亚洲美女一区二区三区 | 亚洲综合无码一区二区 | 欧美成视频无需播放器 | 日韩av片在线免费观看 | 欧美日韩精品一区二区三区视频 |