GIVING THE PAST A FUTURE

Restoration expert highlights the context of his findings, Wang Ru reports.

Clad in a white coat and wielding tools akin to surgical instruments, Ren Wei describes his daily work as a practice of healing, like a doctor tending to patients.

Over the past 12 years, the relic restorer at Shandong Museum in Jinan, Shandong's provincial capital, has breathed new life into more than 3,000 cultural relics, restoring them to their former grandeur.

Each restoration project unfolds like a medical procedure, beginning with a thorough diagnosis of the artifact's condition based on information Ren and his team collect from various sources, including its weight, size and photos taken. A detailed plan for restoration will be devised after discussions. Then come meticulous procedures, such as cleaning, returning it to its original shape, and tackling corrosion.