Hunghsi Chao, Senior Regional Director for East Asia at World Monuments Fund, said, “Qianlong Garden represents an unparalleled survival of imperial interior design, and its preservation requires both technical precision and deep cultural understanding. Through our work with the Palace Museum, we have not only safeguarded a historic treasure but have helped reinvigorate traditional craftsmanship and inspired new generations of conservation professionals.”
As part of the partnership, the World Monuments Fund launched the CRAFT Educational Programme (Conservation Resources for Architectural Interiors, Furniture, and Training), which helps train the next generation of professional conservationists in China by integrating international conservation science with traditional Chinese craftsmanship.
Qianlong Garden is also now home to a new exhibition explaining the interiors, design and craftmanship that went into the original construction and subsequent restoration.
From the completion of its construction in 1420 until the abolishment of the monarchy in 1924, access to the imperial palace complex was restricted to the emperor and imperial family, hence the name Forbidden City. The Palace Museum opened on the site in 1925, and receives an average of 14 million visitors a year.
More information: wmf.org
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