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Palace Museum repairs its only Taoist Temple

CCTV.com

11-10-2016 18:21 BJT

After a year and a half, renovations on the only Taoist structure inside Beijing’s Palace Museum are almost complete. The Royal Taoist Temple is expected to open its doors to the public in 2018. 

After a year and a half, renovations on the only Taoist structure inside Beijing

After a year and a half, renovations on the only Taoist structure inside Beijing's Palace Museum are almost complete.

The royal Taoist temple has been undergoing renovations for a year and a half. On Tuesday, a treasure box was returned to where it belonged, in the center roof of the main hall of the temple. 

“The relocation of the treasure box means the main part of the renovation has been completed. Next, we’ll work on the inner decoration of the halls,” said Shan Jixiang, Director of Palace Museum.

Archeologists did not open the treasure box that is believed to contain ingots made of five kinds of metals, five colors of gems, five classic books, five colors of silk, thread, fragrances and medicine. These objects are said to bring blessings. The treasure box was left untouched to keep the relics inside intact.

“When we removed it from the roof, there was a metal box inside a wooden box. The wooden box was a little bit scattered, while the metal box inside was very well kept. So we just repaired the wooden box and put the metal box back into it,” said Wu Wei, engineer of Dep't of Project Management of Palace Museum.

After a year and a half, renovations on the only Taoist structure inside Beijing

After a year and a half, renovations on the only Taoist structure inside Beijing's Palace Museum are almost complete.

Archeologists have also recorded traces of each renovation in the temple’s history, using modern techniques. 

“This complex is one of a kind in the Palace Museum. We hope to keep all the information surrounding it, be it either the traditional techniques in building it, or the history and culture it contains. We are speeding up the renovation and hope to open it in 2018,” Shan said.

The Royal Taoist Temple, known in Chinese as Da Gao Xuan Dian, was built in 1542 during the Ming dynasty. It is located near the northern-most gate of the Palace Museum, the Gate of Godly Prowess. With a spread of 3,300 square meters, it was used by imperial families to worship Taoist deities and wish for sunny days, rain and snow. It had not been renovated for a century until it returned to be a part of the Palace Museum in 2010. The renovation project officially began in April 2015.

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