Renovation gives Long Corridor of Summer Palace a new life

In 2020, the Haidian Three Hills and Five Gardens National Cultural Relics Protection and Utilization Demonstration Zone was designated as one of China's first national-level demonstration zones of its kind, marking a new phase in the heritage area's development.

Fruitful results have been achieved under the framework in recent years. At the Summer Palace, for example, professionals restored more than 70 "rooms"---spaces enclosed by four pillars---of the colorful paintings on the beams of its iconic Long Corridor from 2023 to last year.

According to Yan Xiaoyu, a senior engineer at the Summer Palace's heritage conservation center, the garden complex was originally built by Emperor Qianlong to celebrate his mother's birthday, so the corridor paintings often feature auspicious patterns, legends from Chinese history and scenes from famous novels.

After prolonged exposure outdoors, many of the colors had faded. Before the restoration, researchers studied the original painting techniques, created digital records and produced replicas for practice.

"The restoration result seems good as of now. In this way, visitors can see the beautiful paintings in the Long Corridor more clearly," says Yan.