Fahai Temple murals: ‘Naked-eye 3D’ from 500 years ago

Mural painting is where painting began. Chinese murals, with their long and distinguished tradition, unfold like a history of painting written across walls.

Alina Efimova , a cultural observer from Russia with a deep interest in Chinese murals, sat down with Dong Zhuo, vice dean of the School of Restoration at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, for a cross-cultural conversation. Amid the vast and dazzling array of Chinese murals, what makes the murals of Fahai Temple so exceptionally refined? Why do netizens describe them as having a "naked-eye 3D" quality? And where does that faint halo of light come from?

Follow their conversation to take in the grandeur and exquisite beauty of the Fahai Temple murals — a masterpiece of imperial mural painting from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Into Chinese Art is an immersive cultural interview series produced by China Daily Culture Channel, where international hosts engage with art experts through interactive discussions, offering audiences a deeper understanding of Chinese art and aesthetics. The fourth season of Into Chinese Art focuses on murals.