Published : 2022-06-19
The Hong Kong Palace Museum's successful opening relied on a strong, small team. Just two conservators, Lu Zhichao and Liang Jiafang, form this crucial backbone.
They are entrusted with the safekeeping of over 900 loaned artifacts, meticulously managing everything from climate control to restoration. Their primary mission is ensuring all pieces safely return to the Beijing Palace Museum.
Full preparation to maintain the best condition of the artifacts
To welcome the opening of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the Beijing Palace Museum conducted the most significant overseas loan in its history, bringing 914 precious artifacts to Hong Kong for public viewing.
Before the opening, the restoration department of the Beijing Palace Museum restored the artifacts to a more stable condition, indicating basic restoration work was usually not needed in Hong Kong.
Still, the team must be fully prepared to maintain the artifacts in their best condition for visitors.
Lu Zhichao and Liang Jiafang undertake this responsibility: "If we can provide a professional, safe, and stable environment, it will slow down the decay. This has a greater impact than actual restoration works.”
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The first significant challenge before the opening of the Hong Kong Palace Museum was the need to control all external factors that might affect the exhibits.
“We will provide the most stringent environmental conditions for the exhibit, even if the external climate varies throughout the seasons, the indoor temperature and humidity won't change.”
In addition to temperature control, the team also has to deal with potential pest problems. Therefore, immediately following the delivery of the venue, the team performed pest control monitoring and placed pest-resistant panels for different types of pests, stopping problems at the root and preventing pests from breeding inside the museum.
Control storage temperature and humidity
Furthermore, each artifact has its suitable temperature, humidity, and light exposure conditions. For instance, if storage space is too humid for works of art on paper, the paper may curl or develop patches of mold.
If it is too dry, it may tear. Given that the delivery time is in summer, and the difference in humidity between Hong Kong and Beijing is significant, how to store each artifact tests the ability of the team.
Upon extensive research, the team commissioned over 200 specialized display cabinets used by world-class museums, made in Milan, Italy, to provide the highest level of protection for the artifacts.
Each cabinet contains a layer of UV-resistant coating on the top and a device to adjust humidity and temperature at the bottom.
The built-in microclimate controls adjust parameters according to the needs of each piece, offering comfortable viewing conditions for each artifact.
Read more: "Restoring Artifacts in the Palace Museum": a thousand-year craftsmanship legacy
Organising artifact restoration activities to promote conservation awareness
Entrusted with over 900 artifacts, Lu Zhichao and Liang Jiafang feel both pressure and excitement. They prepare for any scenario, ensuring all restoration is strategic and reversible to guarantee the artworks' safety.
Therefore, the team is prepared by installing iron walls in the studio, purchasing temperature and humidity monitoring equipment, and ordering handmade tables with red lacquer from craftsmen in Yangzhou.
This is to ensure when papers are placed on the table, they can clearly distinguish the paper, thickness, and uniformity of paste.
With these preparations, if needed, they can “perform surgery” on the artifacts at any time after opening, thereby extending the “lifespan” of the artifacts.
This experience in management and artifact restoration is invaluable, as the Hong Kong Palace Museum will gradually increase its in-house collections in the future. Both will participate in assessing the condition of the artifacts or even carry out restoration work.
In the past, the process of artifact restoration was rarely exposed to the public, but the team plans to host presentations of artifact restoration after the museum opens, and even give audiences an opportunity to participate, thereby personally experiencing its charms and further realizing the importance of cultural artifact protection.
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