Chinese treasures restored in the heart of Beijing

In a workshop tucked away in Beijing's historic Forbidden City, a restorer hunched over a centuries-old figurine, using a cotton bud to delicately clean its dusty crevices after years hidden in storage.

- Celia Cazale/Isabel Kua

Only a small fraction of the 1.86 million artefacts held by the Chinese capital's Palace Museum is on display at any one time.

But as President Xi Jinping has called for stronger protection of cultural heritage over the past decade, efforts to preserve historical relics have intensified, with thousands of treasures refurbished in the hopes they will be showcased at a later date.

During a recent visit to a Forbidden City studio on a government-organized media tour, workers wearing latex gloves pored over their precious charges, gently dabbing and buffing to return lanterns, jade pendants and timeworn paintings to their former glory.

One restorer used a fine brush to carefully touch up a peeling, disembodied statue head, while another painted a glistening liquid over an ancient scroll from the Qing Dynasty.