Happiness means making cultural relics come 'mentally and physically' alive

While restoring the Yellow River iron ox, Zhang proved to be more efficient than experts from Beijing in removing rust, using his concoction of kerosene, turpentine and paraffin.

As his work was becoming popular, his father set a condition－that he should never work for tomb raiders or have any truck with smugglers of cultural relics, a rule Zhang has religiously adhered to.

Another rule he follows is to never make imitations of cultural relics, even if it is no big deal for someone with his expertise.

"Restoration work must respect historical facts and the principle of authenticity, rather than imagination or market demands," Zhang said.

Zhang enjoys his work so much that he is always to be found amid damaged cultural relics, repairing them, not taking rest even during holidays. Where others see piles of damaged pottery, Zhang sees beauty and treasures in need of restoration.

Over the past decade, he has restored damaged pottery relics that would otherwise have had to be sent to a warehouse. The restored relics are now exhibits at the Yungang Grottoes Museum. He has also restored Buddha statues and frescos there.

He is now passing on his skills to dozens of apprentices in Yungang.

Zhang Zhuo, director of the Yungang Grottoes Institute, rightly said that Zhang's contribution to Yungang lies not only in the number of cultural relics he has restored, but in the cultivation of a large number of talents.

Dong Kai, who is in charge of restoration projects in Yungang, said what makes Zhang different is his ability to improvise tools on the spot for the work at hand. A wooden board, a piece of wire, a used brush and an empty toothpaste tube, to name a few, are all useful tools that Zhang can make use of to cut, scratch, polish, delineate and grind his "babies".

"The uniqueness of the cultural relics means the tools we use to 'serve' them should also be exclusive," said Zhang.

"When I see broken wares, I want to repair them. Once I start repairing them, I want to restore them. And once they are restored, I feel happy."

Peng Ke'er contributed to this story.