Restoration of the Palace Gardens in the Forbidden City
MUMBAI, 19 March, 2015 – Asia Society was delighted to welcome to its platform Happy Harun; Project Director, China Heritage Fund at the National Gallery of Modern Art. After a warm welcome by Pheroza Godrej; Chair, NGMA Advisory Committee; Harun spoke about China Heritage Fund’s (CHF) inaugural project: the reconstruction of the Garden of the Palace of Established Happiness. A devastating fire in 1923 left the Garden in ruins, making this project the first major privately funded project in the Forbidden City, and its first reconstruction in the 20th century.
Harun elaborated on the key factors that are used to make the preservation project more meaningful, and spoke about the eight disciplines of traditional Chinese architecture, namely: tile work, carpentry, scaffolding, masonry, foundation work, priming, paint work, and mounting. The goal, Harun emphasized, was to stay true to the history, as the “authenticity lies in the process” of restoration.
Construction for this visionary project began in May 2000 and was completed in November 2005, with special attention paid to expose the structural details. The CHF is respectful of the creativity of the craftsmen involved in the project, and encourages them to take complete ownership of the project, which creates a proud sentiment of their Chinese heritage.
Responding to the audience’s questions on the intricacies of the restoration process and meticulous practices involved, Harun concluded with the importance of preserving and restoring the cultural relics that are part of every heritage, as the act of restoration is a sign of a country’s rise and prosperity.
Reported by Maneka Chotirmall, Programme Assistant, Asia Society India Centre
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