2008 Annual Report - World Monuments Fund

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forBiddEn City, BEijing, China
Juanqinzhai
In 2008, the World Monuments Fund put the finishing touches on the spectacularly
successful restoration of Juanqinzhai, or the “Studio of Exhaustion
from Diligent Service,” in Beijing’s Forbidden City. A ribbon-cutting ceremony
and press conference generated extensive media coverage and marked the
completion of the first phase of a 12-year, multimillion-dollar partnership
with Beijing’s Palace Museum. This project is WMF’s most comprehensive and
the Palace Museum’s most significant collaboration with a foreign organization.
The restoration of Juanqinzhai is just the beginning of a complex and
rewarding venture. Eventually WMF will restore all 27 structures in the garden
complex, which was built in the 18th century for the Qianlong Emperor.
Imperial edict left the complex largely undisturbed for over 230 years, but
neglect took a toll.
WMF brought the studio up to modern standards while maintaining the
integrity of its artistry. Craftspeople versed in traditional materials and
techniques were found in China’s southern provinces, where many of the
garden’s most distinguished buildings, courtyards, and rockeries were
originally designed.
WMF is bringing together resources and expertise from around the world in
the fields of architecture, conservation, and museum methodologies to restore
and interpret for the public the history of this significant but lesser-known
section of China’s preeminent cultural icon.
The next phase of the Qianlong Garden project will apply the experience
developed while working on the Studio to the remainder of the complex.
An on-site education center and a major traveling exhibition are also being
planned. Each successive phase will provide knowledge and resources to be
built on into the future.