Palace of Soong will be restored

The Palace of Soong Mei-ling, a classical building in Nanjing where the former first lady of Republic of China and her husband used to reside, is expected to reopen in October after its first major renovation in about 60 years.

Before the work began, the three-story building — used by Soong and her husband, former Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek, in the 1930s and 1940s — had fallen into disrepair, according to a cultural heritage management bureau.

Large pieces of the colorful paintings on its ceilings and walls have peeled off.

Some of its windows are broken, pillars unstable and railings cracked.

To restore the building, which was later used as a resting place for senior officials on their way to visit the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, 20 million yuan ($3.2 million) will be spent on the 300-day renovation project, said Liu Dong-hua, director of the cultural heritage department under the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum management bureau.

The original appearance of the palace will be retained to the greatest possible extent, Liu said.

The renovation will first reinforce the structure and then replace or repair all the wood flooring.

The major part of the work will be the colorful paintings, according to Liu.

A panel of experts from Beijing's Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, who are recognized as being exceptionally skilled in restoring painting on old buildings, will be invited to restore the paintings.