Government 'held up' palace project

Penny-pinching halted Forbidden City restoration

Penny-pinching and a lack of professional craftsmen are to blame for the suspension of a previous renovation project at the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, the curator has said.

The quality of the renovation materials could not be guaranteed as the government preferred cheap materials, Shan Jixiang, the curator of the Palace Museum in Beijing said Tuesday, blaming this for the one-year suspension of the renovation project between 2014 and 2015. Shan was speaking at a summit held at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Sunday.

Tian Lin, a professor of ancient architecture at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, told the Global Times that materials used to restore the Forbidden City must be consistent with the original ones used, which means that the material should be specially made.

However, government officials who were responsible for making the budget had no idea about the market price of the specially made materials, so they preferred to buy cheap ones. Moreover, they had no professional knowledge about distinguishing good quality construction materials from poor quality, Tian said.

Shan also said that to save costs, the construction team recruited workers who did not have professional knowledge of restoring ancient architecture. Another problem was that when experienced craftsmen retired, their apprentices failed to continue their work as they had no Beijing household registration, or hukou. But young local residents are unwilling to work as craftsmen, such as bricklayers or carpenters, Shan said.

Moreover, once the government allocated funds, the government would push for faster progress, as any surplus at the end of the year would be taken back, he added.

Tian noted that the restoration of ancient architectural structures usually fails to finish in accordance with the schedule as there are always unexpected hold-ups, including making plans and transferring cultural relics.

The renovation of the museum restarted after Shan reported the problems at a symposium held by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Since then, the renovation of the Forbidden City has been regarded as a conservation program instead of a construction project.

The restoration should not be considered as an ordinary construction project, which has rigid rules on construction teams and construction progress, Tian said.

He also suggested the Forbidden City should develop a professional team that would have expertise in restoring ancient structures.

In November, the Forbidden City launched a major restoration project to protect the outer wall, which is 3,437.6 meters in length, aiming to fix the diseases of "old age" that threaten the 600-year-old imperial structure. It is the biggest restoration project at the museum since 1949.