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Chinese Scientists Trying to Protect Old Murals
Local scientists are making strenuous efforts to look for ways for protecting murals in ancient grottoes, according to Chen Shiliang, former director of the Guici Grottoes Institute, in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
They are cooperating with experts from the Dunhuang Institute.
The Chinese researchers are hoping to deal with murals that have been covered with thick smoky ash, which is deemed as the most difficult problem for experts to solve in protecting ancient relics in the world.
The smoke came from different sources including burning of horse manure, wood and oil, the expert said. Different techniques are required to handle them, Chen said.
In the late 1970s, the Guici institute used acid solvents to clean the murals but a dozen years later the physical nature of the murals changed, resulting in a change of color.
"We have to stop cleaning the murals until we have developed better technology," Chen said.
Murals covered with smoky ash are easier to be protected than being exposed after cleaning, Chen said. The ash could prevent the painting from being oxygenized, he added.
According to the expert, the US-based Getty Conservation Institute has showed its interest in studying the subject together with Chinese researchers.
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