Ancient murals restored in labor of love

    By XIN WEN in Xi'an | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2021-01-14 07:35
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    A visitor copies a portrait of a woman from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) at The Treasures of Prosperity, an exhibition of murals from that era staged in Taiwan. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

    Delicate work requires keen eye for detail

    Cloud and mist shroud the magnificent ancient buildings of an imperial palace, with incense permeating the corridors before wafting beyond the city walls.

    This magnificently detailed scene forms part of a mural discovered at the Tomb of Prince Yide, the grandson of Emperor Li Zhi and Empress Wu Zetian during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

    The tomb, located in Xianyang, Shaanxi province, is more than 85 kilometers from downtown Xi'an, the provincial capital.

    The mural is in a collection that has been housed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an for more than two decades. The museum, situated near Big Wild Goose Pagoda, is one of the best-known in China.

    In September, replicas of this mural and more than 40 others from the museum were featured in an exhibition that toured universities in Taipei, Taichung and Taoyuan in Taiwan.

    When the display arrived in Taipei, one visitor wrote in the guestbook, "I want to fly to Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an) immediately and enjoy the murals in person."

    Liu Jia, a project manager for the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Exchange Association and a curator for the exhibition, describes the murals as "time capsules".

    "They reveal the prosperity during the Tang Dynasty, enabling us to explore, research and verify how politics, society, art and culture developed at the time," Liu said.

    The murals are exceptionally popular, she said, adding, "A mural has a trace of mystery due to its fragility, and they are difficult to restore if damaged."

    The collection at Shaanxi History Museum, housed in an area of more than 1,000 square meters in the Treasure Hall of the Tang Dynasty Mural Paintings, features more than 600 artworks.

    It is China's first collection of Tang Dynasty tomb murals, and the exhibition hall is the country's largest for such artworks. Both the collection and the hall are the result of Sino-Italian efforts to preserve murals.

    Before entering the hall, which officially opened to the public on June 20, 2011, visitors must wear shoe covers.

    The underground hall is luxuriously decorated and features high-tech equipment such as temperature and humidity controls.

    Of the 97 wall paintings on display, 18 murals in five sets have been listed as national treasures by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

    Most of the murals exhibited are from three tombs in the Tang Dynasty, which were owned by relatives of Empress Wu Zetian (690-705), the sole female ruler in ancient China.

    Murals found in the tombs were first relocated for restoration work in the 1960s and 1970s.

    Yang Wenzong, deputy director of the museum's mural collection base, who has worked at the institution for more than 30 years, witnessed the murals being removed from the tombs. He has also seen the rapid advances made in restoration techniques over the years.

    "When we speak about murals from graves, we often refer to them as Tang tomb murals," Yang said. "We've excavated many tomb murals dating to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) and such artworks reached their peak in the Tang Dynasty."

    The three tombs were owned by princes and princesses from the imperial family during the Tang Dynasty, Yang added. Murals from these graves are rich in color, showcasing the skills of artisans at that time.

    "Interestingly, the owners of the three tombs were either killed or committed suicide by imperial order from Empress Wu Zetian, and their mausoleums were later rebuilt by the emperors who succeeded her," Yang said.

    There are numerous Tang tomb murals in Xi'an and central Shaanxi.

    Yang said there were three types of mural at the time-two of them found above ground and one below. The former was found mainly at grottoes, temples, churches and palaces, and the latter at graves.

    1 2 3 4 5 Next   >>|
    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
    精选观看中文字幕高清无码| 无码国产乱人伦偷精品视频| 色综合AV综合无码综合网站| 中文字幕欧美日韩在线不卡| 久久午夜无码鲁丝片午夜精品 | 好看的中文字幕二区高清在线观看| 无码人妻精品一区二区三区66 | 人妻丰满熟妞av无码区| 最近更新2019中文字幕| 亚洲AV永久无码精品一区二区国产| 一本色道无码不卡在线观看| 亚洲激情中文字幕| 中文无码字慕在线观看| 国产精品无码素人福利不卡| 无码精品人妻一区二区三区免费看| 亚洲美日韩Av中文字幕无码久久久妻妇 | 性无码专区一色吊丝中文字幕| 亚洲欧洲无码AV电影在线观看| 中文字幕亚洲综合久久菠萝蜜| 天堂资源中文最新版在线一区 | 天堂无码久久综合东京热| 日韩免费人妻AV无码专区蜜桃 | 亚洲精品无码久久久久久| 再看日本中文字幕在线观看| 色综合久久最新中文字幕| 一本无码中文字幕在线观| 亚洲免费无码在线| 亚洲?V无码乱码国产精品| 免费AV一区二区三区无码 | 亚洲国产综合精品中文第一| 国产高清无码二区| 国产精品xxxx国产喷水亚洲国产精品无码久久一区 | 18禁网站免费无遮挡无码中文| 乱色精品无码一区二区国产盗| 无码国产色欲XXXXX视频| 精品国精品无码自拍自在线| 日韩精品无码免费一区二区三区| 无码国产69精品久久久久网站| 久久久久亚洲AV片无码下载蜜桃| 精品一区二区三区无码免费视频| 国产产无码乱码精品久久鸭|