Photo: Courtesy of China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration

 
China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration on Tuesday announced further details about the newly released Professional Skills Standard in cultural relics restorer, the first official document of the occupation. 

The research and compilation for the standard were carried out after the occupation cultural relics restorer was formally included in China’s classification of occupations in 2015, and has been officially released in late September. 

The Standard includes 13 career directions including murals, colored sculptures, textiles, metal, stone, ceramics, paper paintings and calligraphy, earthen ruins, woodwork and clay tile work, covering 65 job levels.

Photo: Courtesy of China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration

 
Gu Yucai, the deputy director general of National Cultural Heritage Administration said at the conference that China the country with over 5,000 years of history has an insufficient number of experts in cultural relics restoration.

He pointed out that as the personnel responsible for the status of cultural relics, professionals need  strong theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Their ability and level directly affect the safety of cultural relics.

In the past, due the lack of a highly professionalized cultural sector, some unspecialized restorers failed to repair some cultural relics, making a large requirement of some elites in the field. The newly released standard will play an important role in improving the quality of cultural relics restoration and promoting the high-quality development of cultural relics.

The authority is scheduled to hold the 2021 National Cultural Relics Professional Skills Competition in Qufu, East China’s Shandong Province on Friday and Saturday. 

Global Times