CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- On the eve of International Museum Day which falls on May 18, the reporter came to the Chongqing Three Gorges Cultural Relics Science and Technology Protection Base. In the calligraphy and painting restoration room, these cultural relics "doctors" are repairing an ancient painting. They have “revived” some famous paintings of Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, etc. with their excellent skills.

This 2-meter-long painting in the Ming Dynasty has been partially damaged by insect infestations, and what is even more visible is the embrittlement and crack on inlays. Before restoring an ancient painting, cultural relic "doctors" need to perform a "general examination" on it.

By using this portable video microscope, ancient painting damages, paper cracks can be observed, and paper types can be analyzed at a magnification of 200 times.

With a drop of water dripped, the pH of the paper will be detected on a desktop pH meter. If the result shows a slight acidity, indicating that the paper is aged and fragile. Restorers need to be careful when cleaning it.

Cultural relic "doctors" said that with the support of technological equipment, ancient paintings have a detailed "examination report", so that they can take different restoration measures for different damages.

Ancient paintings should be restored by following the principle "restoring the ancient paintings as they were". The restorer Yang Jun (right) started the career at a young age and has been working on it for over 30 years now. In her opinion, restoring ancient paintings requires not only superior skills, but also a sense of awe. Under the guidance of Yang Jun, the young cultural relic "doctor" Li Xin (left) was carefully removing the dust from an ancient painting with a wool brush.

There are more than 10 major steps in repairing ancient paintings, including cleaning, unmounting, repairing, coloring, and there are more detailed steps. Li Xin said, “It often takes several months, or even more than a year to complete the restoration of an ancient painting, according to the degree of difficulty. We have to be more patient.”

Gently pick up the thin paper strip as thin as cicada wings with tweezers, then stick it with paste and insert it into the damaged area of the ancient painting. Being very patient and careful is the key to repairing ancient painting bit by bit, and no mistakes are allowed.

The restoration of ancient paintings not only requires the cultural relic "doctors" to be proficient in using tools such as scrapers, tweezers and awls, but also requires them to deal with thin silk, silk and paper as thin as cicada wings, and be able to "understand" the thoughts of the ancients. Li Xin and her colleagues also have learned how to draw traditional Chinese realistic paintings in order to make the repaired parts recover as they were.

"Although everyone says this career is boring, in fact, the joy can be felt with heart. When you see a complete ancient painting hanging on the wall, you will feel that all efforts are paid off." Hu Qianjuan, a cultural relic “doctor” born in the 1990s, believes that to restore ancient paintings and make them "reborn" is also to inherit traditional culture.

At the Three Gorges Cultural Relics Science and Technology Protection Base, viewers can watch how cultural relics "doctors" repair ancient paintings in the "operating room" through a large screen. (Translated by Hu Chuanmin, Fathom Language Limited)