Elephants in Tranquility by Xue Haitao. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Then, Xue used a silk scroll and color pigment to draw the painting, also called Xibitu of Chaoyuantu. It took him four years to complete the piece.

"The key of the restoration of these murals lies in details. Each stroke has to be responsible for the next in the painting. Especially, the each of the 290 figures in the murals has totally different facial expressions and clothes. A tiny mistake would ruin the murals. Thus, the mural restoration requires excelsior work, "Xue said.

Being comparable with the Dunhuang frescoes, the murals of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in Yongle Gong Temple are among national traditional religious murals and enjoy important position in the history of Chinese mural art.

They are also considered the Chinese counterpart of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. They are not only 200 years older than Michelangelo's 16th century ceiling in Rome, but also comparable in size and beauty.

Xue also completed a painting based on the east wall murals in August.