Events

Mr. RONG Bo (Moderator)

Deputy Director & Researcher III, Department of Archeology, Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum of China | 2017/2018 J. S. Lee Memorial Fellow 

Mr. RONG Bo is a 2017/2018 J. S. Lee Memorial Fellow. In 2018, he spent 5 months at the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian’s Institution, in the U. S. A. to conduct scientific research on the binding media in the polychrome layers of the excavated Terracotta Army. He is now Deputy Director and Researcher III of the Emperor Qinshihuang Mausoleum Museum’s Department of Archeology, and Executive Deputy Director at the key scientific research base of the National Cultural Heritage Administration for the Preservation of Painted Ceramic Relics. Working as part-time professor or supervisor for postgraduate students, he also teaches at universities such as Xi’an Jiaotong University, Shanghai University, Nanjing Forestry University, Northwest University, and Shaanxi University of Science and Technology. 

As an experienced scientist in conservation and restoration, Mr. Rong has published more than 80 academic articles and completed 12 scientific research projects for China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Cultural Heritage Administration. Adding onto being awarded in the “National Cultural Heritage Administration Outstanding Youth for Cultural Relics Protection Programme” in 2014, he has also received 2 national-level awards and 9 provincial-ministerial level awards to date. Mr. Rong was also a senior visiting scholar at Wright State University, U. S. A. (2013-2015) and at the Technical University of Munich, Germany (2003, 2006, 2011), as well as a visiting scholar at Getty Conservation Institute (2018). 

Ms. LI Guanghua (Speaker)

Associate Research Fellow, The Palace Museum | 2022/2023 J. S. Lee Memorial Fellow

As a 2022/2023 J. S. Lee Memorial Fellow, Ms. LI Guanghua spent 8 months from 2023 to 2024 at the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian’s Institution (“National Museum of Asian Art”), in the U. S. A. to learn from its scientific studies of pigments in Chinese painting from the Song dynasty through the early twentieth century. She is now an Associate Research Fellow at the Palace Museum and a Ph.D. candidate at Beijing University of Chemical Technology. Her research focuses on the scientific analysis and conservation of polychrome artifacts, such as polychrome architectural decorations and murals, as well as the study of deterioration mechanisms of ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy. She also conducts research on the application of non-destructive analysis techniques. To date, she has published more than 10 papers in related fields.  

In her research on ancient Chinese paintings, Ms. Li employs various non-destructive analysis techniques, including hyperspectral imaging, X-ray fluorescence mapping, and microscopic observation, to study the pigments and painting techniques used in ancient Chinese paintings, providing support for their facsimile and conservation. 

“Learning from the National Museum of Asian Art: Scientific Analysis of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Artifacts and Research on Reverse Pigments” 

Ms. Li will share her experiences during her fellowship at the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, from 3 perspectives: (1) introducing the research outcome and current condition of Chinese paintings at the Palace Museum and the National Museum of Asian Art; (2) exploring techniques such as microscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and X-ray imaging to study the reverse pigments techniques used in the ancient Chinese painting collections of the National Museum of Asian Art and introducing the new findings and the technical characteristics across different periods; and (3) sharing insights, personal reflections, and experiences in applying for and completing the J. S. Lee Memorial Fellowship Programme. 

Mr. LEUNG Kai Hin (Speaker)

Conservator, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong | 2021 Bei Shan Tang Foundation Scholarship Awardee

Mr. LEUNG Kai Hin was awarded the Bei Shan Tang Foundation Scholarship in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in Conservation of Cultural Relics at Tainan University of the Arts in Taiwan, specializing in paper and East Asian painting conservation. During his studies, he also interned at Taipei’s Palace Museum and spent 4 months at the Hirayama Studio of the British Museum. Prior to that, he had been trained in painting mounting and conservation techniques under the supervision of Mr. XIE Guanghan, master of the Suzhou Mounting School. He had also engaged in the conservation work of over 200 Chinese paintings and calligraphies in the collection at the Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.  

Mr. Leung is currently a Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Conservator at the Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

“From Apprentice to Conservator: Impartation, Inheritance, and Modern Applications of Traditional Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Conservation”

As conservation becomes increasingly professionalised, requirements and thresholds of educational qualifications for beginners aspiring to enter this profession are becoming increasingly rigorous. However, Mr. Leung took a different path into the profession. A recipient of the 2021 Bei Shan Tang Foundation Scholarship, he shares his professional journey—from his early days working in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy mounting and restoration, to being awarded a scholarship for further studies in Taiwan. He will also discuss his experiences interning at the Taipei Palace Museum and the British Museum. Mr. Leung’s story reflects his progress from an apprentice of a traditional craftmanship to a conservator who also absorbs modern restoration concepts, explores specialized knowledge, and probes into ways of applying them to the restoration of Chinese paintings and calligraphical practice.