Masters in the Palace Museum

Lv Yao， the writer of this book， interviewed twelve top restorers of cultural relics， with more emphasis on showing the “people who repair cultural relics.” Each part focuses on interviewing old masters and their apprentices， accompanied by high-definition pictures of cultural relics， on-site work photos， and some out-of-print old photos， which vividly recreate the history of cultural relics’ restoration that the Palace Museum has inherited for hundreds of years.

Xiao Han

Xiao Han is a documentary director， associate professor at the Zhejiang University of Technology， painter， host， and drama producer.

Lv Yao

Lv Yao， a writer， was nominated for the Newcomer Award by the 11th Chinese Media Awards. Her novel Ne Zha was put on screen and listed in the competition unit at the 19th Busan International Film Festival.

Yan Ming

Yan Ming is a photographer，" winner of Hou Dengke Award and the photography award “l(fā)a Bourse du Talent” and has published a number of photography albums.

Masters in the Palace Museum

Chief editor： Xiao Han

Writer： Lv Yao

Photographer： Yan Ming

New Classics — Amber

June 2022

69.00 （CNY）

Paper lasts a thousand years， and silk lasts eight hundred years. Regardless of wars and changes， calligraphy and painting scrolls can be preserved for only eight hundred years. Preserving originals by copying was highlighted in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and prospered in the Tang and Song dynasties. Throughout the ages， palace painters copied ancient paintings. In the Huizong period of the Song Dynasty， royal painters were organized to copy famous paintings of previous dynasties on a large scale “under strict supervision.” Among the works handed down from generation to generation， Nymph of the Luo River and A Picture of Exemplary Women by Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and many other works were known by later generations through the copies of the Song Dynasty. Chinese painting emphasizes “romantic charm” and “artistic conception” and expresses the painter’s spirit of “harmony between man and nature.” It is a cavalier perspective with moderate deformation and exaggeration. Beginners cannot be trained by sketching from life but should master techniques by copying the works of predecessors. Copying is an important means of learning Chinese painting.

At the beginning of the Republic of China， Shanghai gathered a number of masters of calligraphy and painting who specialized in copying famous paintings handed down from ancient times. The members included Tan Jing， Tang An， Jin Zhongyu， and Zheng Zhuyou. They worked as a team in copying ancient calligraphy and paintings， painting， writing， copying seals， mounting or antiquing. The copies of works they made were as vivid as the originals. At the same time， there were a number of painting masters in Beijing and Tianjin painting circles， including Chen Linzhai from the “Hushe Painting Society” and Feng Zhonglian， a famous female painter （Chen Shaomei’s wife）， and Jin Yumin， who specialized in copying calligraphy seals.

After the founding of New China， the Palace Museum set up a copy studio and organized the copying of ancient calligraphy and paintings of ancient times with plans and steps. Zheng Zhuyou and Jin Zhongyu were responsible for copying calligraphy and paintings， and Jin Yumin was responsible for copying seals. This team gathered many masters.

On September 1st， 1956， Liu Yu， who graduated from high school， reported for duty in the Palace Museum. He reported for duty， especially on the day of starting school. The Palace Museum was more of a new school to him. In 1963， Liu Yu took Jin Yumin as his teacher and became the only inheritor of copying calligraphy and painting seals of the Palace Museum then. Only Liu Yu was responsible for this professional work.

In 1962， Chen Linzhai and Feng Zhonglian were ordered by Rongbaozhai to copy Along the River During the Qingming Festival in the Palace Museum. According to regulations at that time， cultural relics of the Palace Museum must not be taken outside. The two could only look at the top-level cultural relic with a magnifier through the glass. Next， they sketched the outlines according to the black-and-white photo taken by the photographer. Then， they copied the picture gradually based on the original and the photo. Copying ancient paintings is a recreation process. The copier should study each first and last stroke with great concentration and master the style of using brushes and colors. Besides， he should reflect the charm of the original.

They copied the painting for more than four years but didn’t finish it. In 1966， the Palace Museum was closed， and the copying of Along the River During the Qingming Festival had to suspend. In 1972， the Palace Museum was reopened to the outside. The comrades of the copy studio were reunited. President Wu officially transferred Feng Zhonglian and Chen Linzhai from the former Rongbaozhai to the Palace Museum. In 1976， the Palace Museum restarted work on the copy of Along the River During the Qingming Festival. At this time， Feng Zhonglian was in his sixties， and he was limited by a lack of eyesight and arm strength. In addition， he suffered from high blood pressure and fundus angiosclerosis caused thereby. After ten years of suspension， some white silk and colors used for copying were different from previous ones， and it was difficult to connect the picture perfectly. With his super technique and rich experience， Feng Zhonglian made the copy consistent， and no trace of reconnection after suspension for a long time could be found. In 1980， the copy of Along the River During the Qingming Festival was finally completed.

In a span of eighteen years， Feng Zhonglian copied Along the River During the Qingming Festival， which became a legend. However， it is rarely known that Liu Yu copied and stamped more than one hundred seals for Along the River During the Qingming Festival. At this time， his technique of making and stamping seals had reached a top level and was praised as “similar in both form and spirit” by Xu Bangda， Liu Jiuan and other scholars. The copiers of famous paintings are nameless， while the copiers of seals in the copy studio are nameless among the nameless. Being nameless is their normal state. Liu Yu repeatedly urged Shen Wei， his apprentice， to “behave yourself.” The first thing of behavior was to keep lonely.

In 1979， Guo Wenlin was admitted through examination. In the same batch were more than 20 people， of whom three studied photography and two carved seals. All the rest were assigned to the copy studio. They learned from three seniors， Feng Zhonglian， Chen Linzhai and Jin Zhongyu， to copy ancient calligraphy and paintings. In the 1980s， the Palace Museum embraced the peak times of copying ancient calligraphy and paintings. The painting copy group of the science and technology department had the most workers -- 21 workers. These backbone workers in their forties were also at the peak of their careers. They used to feel reluctant to stop painting when it was time to get off work. It was the busiest time for the painting copy group. They could see the authentic works of a large number of first-class and second-class cultural relics. “In the past， we didn’t have enough time to finish the copies.” Among them， the copies of Along the River During the Qingming Festival， Han Xizai’s Evening Banquet and other paintings were well received and exhibited several times in Hong Kong and other places. They could copy the plaques of the Three Great Halls， including the Hall of Supreme Harmony， at a high level， just according to several vague black-and-white photos. For this， they won praises from their peers.

Guo Wenlin thought that manual copies were different from machine copies. Manual copies have their unique value. Inkjet printing cannot make the depth of green mountains and waters or the metal outlines， and the copier’s understanding of life cannot be solidified in them. “Copies have human feelings in them， so they have life.” In the era of mechanical reproduction， a traditional handicraft that used to be prosperous gradually declined， which filled Guo Wenlin with emotions.

Some work wears people out， while some work nurtures people. Copying ancient calligraphy and paintings in the Palace Museum is the latter. Ju Jianwei graduated from the Academy of Arts amp; Design， Tsinghua University， and was cultivated as a prospective painter. After entering the copy studio of the Palace Museum， he began to practice grinding ink and drawing outlines again. He spent a long time doing a simple thing. During this process， he got an insight into the essence of Chinese painting and had a deeper understanding of the subtleties of outlines， from the water content and friction of ink， the size of particles in ink， to the effects on different types of paper. Finally， he returned to the simplest line and saw a person from a line. “Even a line has spirit and disposition.” When copying a painting， the copier should enter the original painter’s state and communicate with the spirit of the original work.

He is immersed in this state and stays away from worldly affairs. Every day， he has a sense of achievement， and anything else is disturbing to him. The fragile paintings by their ancestors create a solid spiritual world for him so that he can resist the noises of the art market outside the red walls and the gains of both fame and wealth of his peers. Facing the impact of inkjet printing on copying， does he sigh with emotion about entering an unpopular industry？ He was born in 1987 and has worked in the Palace Museum for five years. Ju Jianwei， the third generation of copying ancient calligraphy and paintings of the Palace Museum， said that whether an industry is popular or not is related to interests. Interests are temporary， while inheritance is permanent. It is important to master the ancient technique and bear the responsibility of inheritance.

Every day， the first thing in the copy studio is grinding ink. They don’t use ready-made ink because ground ink is stable and will not escape in mounting. After painting every day， the inkstone should be washed. The ink should be used up on the same day. Ink left overnight is obsolete. The colloid of obsolete ink volatilizes， and the remaining carbonized particles are less stable. “Chinese painting is a creative process， which is particular from beginning to end. It is a process of cultivating the mind. Grinding ink is the first step of painting. It is not only a process of making ink but also a process from life to creation. Grinding ink is calming down.” He grinds ink repeatedly， with neither too great nor too little strength. If you see them working， you will find the feeling of a Zen temple. There is no Buddhist statue in the room， but they have their own belief.