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The condition of Xi (West) Temple in Qinshui County is so poor that it almost collapses. [Tang Dahua/Shanghai Daily]
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But Tang is not optimistic.
“I don’t count on it based on my observations and inspections on site for years,” he says. “Budget is a critical thing. Many projects are suspended because of the budget. Without money, the project is only on paper.”
Tang says that last year CCTV reported on the bad condition of the mural paintings in Shanxi, citing nine examples. The local government immediately responded with a 30-million-yuan (US$5 million) project to “rescue” the murals.
“But I found the local government only repaired one and a half, which was financially supported by the central government,” he says. “So I’m totally disappointed by the promise of the local government.”
The rescue of these mural paintings involves not only money but also finding qualified artisans to repair them. Different painters used different methods, some using extraordinary techniques and equipment that remained largely unknown to their successors.
Only a few of them could write their names beside the mural paintings. In fact, such painters were called “craftsmen” rather than artists, and never enjoyed the same reputation and acclaim as the artists of their times.
“When standing in front of these mural paintings, I often have a mixed feeling,” Tang says. “These craftsmen were all unsung heroes, leaving no names to us. I even don’t know whether they had an easy life or not, but what they left is a huge treasure of art.”
Now it’s difficult to find people to repair these priceless treasures. Gao Zhonghua, 53, and Yi Yunli, 50, are a married couple who have repaired mural paintings for years.
“I learned repairing mural paintings at the age of 21,” says Yi. “Due to the “cultural revolution (1966-76), those who grasp the special technique were already approaching 80 or 90, so there is a big generation gap in this area.”
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