Need for rejuvenation

Meanwhile, in spite of help from technology, a challenge commonly faced in restoration is the lack of expertise in taking care of ancient Chinese paintings, both in overseas institutions and at home.

Mei Mosheng, a researcher at the National Art Museum of China, says: "The expertise is generally restricted to a small circle because of the way today's education system is structured. And the dilemma cannot be resolved with a few years of training. To be a professional restorer, you need lots of practice."

Mei says the way modern society functions means that there will be big gaps to fill as the older generation retires.

So, how to focus more attention on the issue is a shared concern for all professionals in the sector.

Earlier this year, Masters in the Forbidden City, a three-episode documentary about cultural-relic restorers from the Palace Museum, went viral. It was even edited into a feature-length film that was screened nationwide two weeks ago.

Separately, at the British Museum, short films on Qiu's works were released on YouTube.

As Kosek sees it: "It (conservation) is a profession for life. And it is important to gain public understanding through the media and tell people that heritage is valuable and worth preserving.

"Investing in people who know how to do it (restoration) is a good business in many ways."

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Wang Yiran, Yan Yujie and Xu Ziming contributed to this story.