One of the major obstacles to restoring the paintings at the Summer Palace is the lack of artists with the skills to do it. Some experts worry that it’s not just the paintings in the Long Corridor that are at stake, but also the ancient techniques needed to create them.
Qin Shulin is skilled in the ancient art of "Caihua", or Chinese color-painting. He participated in the last restoration of the Long Corridor in 1979, and is still working today, though most of his fellow workers have retired or quit painting.
There used to be over 50 artisans in Qin’s company, but now only 5 remain. And because very few young people are willing to take on the job, Qin only has one apprentice.
Qin Shulin said, "This job is quite demanding, and requires a lot of hard work. It takes nearly 10 years to make a good painter, but it doesn’t pay that well, so a lot of my apprentices quit."
To address the issue, some suggest changing the way young painters are nurtured. Traditionally, a group of young apprentices follow a master and learn the skills by mimicking him over time. However, it’s not an efficient method, and some suggest that instruction should be more systematic and on a larger scale.
Jiang Guangquan said, "I think colleges should create such majors. Then students could learn every aspect of the art: not only the history, but also the delicate techniques. We need more young people to pass on the tradition. "
Whatever the case, action is needed soon, as most of the artisans skilled in this ancient technique are quickly fading into history.
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