Original title:

"Oriental Art Gallery" Yongle Palace murals: Empowering the country for hundreds of years

Chinanews. com, Yuncheng, May 22 (Reporter Li Tingyao and Yang Jieying) On the north bank of the Yellow River, Ruicheng County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, at the junction of Qin, Shanxi and Henan provinces, Yongle Palace, the largest Taoist temple in China, is known as the "Oriental Art Gallery" for its murals. On the 22nd, overseas Chinese media representatives from the United States, France, Sweden, Italy, Argentina and other countries and regions came here.

On the same day, the "Walking Hedong · Cultural Relics Protection in Yuncheng" activity of overseas Chinese media was held in Yuncheng. In early summer, the red walls and green tiles of Yongle Palace are hidden in the pines and cypresses, and the buildings and murals of the Yuan Dynasty complement each other. Zhang Liang, president of the World Calligrapher and Painter Newspaper, appreciated the charm of mural art here and described his feelings with "shock". "This is the treasure of culture and the echo of history".

Yongle Palace was built from the beginning of the 13th century to the 14th century, with a history of more than 700 years. The existing murals cover an area of 1005.68 square meters, mainly distributed in one gate, three halls and four buildings of the Yuan Dynasty. One is Wuji Gate, also called Dragon and Tiger Hall; The three halls are Sanqing Hall, Chunyang Hall and Chongyang Hall.

Yongle Palace murals were painted slightly earlier than the European Renaissance, almost all along with the Yuan Dynasty. Courtesy of Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute

"Yongle Palace murals were painted a little earlier than the European Renaissance, almost all the time with the Yuan Dynasty. It is the inheritance and improvement of the painting tradition of the Tang and Song Dynasties, with the exact age to be tested and the name of the painter left." Zhang Qing, director of the Publicity Department of the Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute, introduced.

Entering the Sanqing Hall, the Chaoyuan Map, which is 97 meters long and 4.4 meters high on average, was painted on the east, north and west gable walls. Zhang Qing told the reporter that the murals in Yongle Palace are particularly refined in the "Chaoyuan Painting" in Sanqing Hall. The composition of the murals is magnificent and the brushwork is smooth. 290 gods are standing side by side, and their costumes are different, with few similarities. "It represents the highest achievement of murals in the Yuan Dynasty, and is also the largest figure painting in ancient China known so far.".

The murals in Yongle Palace painted hundreds of people with different attire and demeanor, but rarely identical. Courtesy of Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute

Yongle Palace is located in Yongle Town, Ruicheng County, near the Yellow River. More than 60 years ago, because its site is located in the flooded area of Sanmenxia Reservoir Project, the overall buildings and murals of Yongle Palace were moved to the north of Ruicheng County, the current site.

Zhang Qing said: "This is the first time that large ancient buildings and murals in China have been relocated and protected, and the original appearance has never changed. It has provided valuable experience for the future relocation of historical and cultural heritage." An art scholar once wrote a poem praising this: "In the past 20 years, I have exclaimed that Lu Zu has moved. For many times, the gods are three hundred and six, and it does not damage the beauty."

Yongle Palace has never stopped protecting cultural relics. Since 2016, it has repaired the roofs of all ancient buildings, and cooperated with Tsinghua University School of Architecture, China Cultural Heritage Institute, Dunhuang Institute, Yungang Institute, etc. In 2021, it launched the largest mural restoration project in history, in addition to the restoration of colored glass, stone carvings and clay sculptures in the museum.

The digital collection of murals of the Yuan Dynasty in one gate and three halls has been completed, which enables the image data of murals in Yongle Palace to be saved. Courtesy of Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute

"In order to inherit, utilize and display this artistic treasure, we also pay attention to the excavation of the value of cultural relics." Zhang Qing told reporters that the digital collection of Yuan Dynasty murals in one gate and three halls has been completed, which enables the image data of Yongle Palace murals to be preserved. The original large-scale reproduction and digital display of Yongle Palace murals, which were carried out using 3D printing technology and digital restoration technology, were successively exhibited in Shanxi Museum, Yangzhou Grand Canal Museum, Guangdong Provincial Museum and other places.

For hundreds of years, Yongle Palace still attracts the attention of the world. At present, the annual tourist reception here is about 450000 person times, including overseas Chinese, as well as tourists from France, Japan and other places.

The event was guided by the Publicity Department of the CPC Yuncheng Municipal Committee, hosted by Yuncheng Returned Overseas Chinese Federation, Yuncheng Cultural Relics Protection Center, and undertaken by China News Service International Communications Group Shanxi Branch.