Murals of the Ming Dynasty enter the digital age

Several visitors stand in quiet admiration before the exquisite murals in the dimly lit hall.

The bodhisattva is depicted vividly with a round, full face, deep in contemplation, with slender fingers and toes. The figure is draped in a robe of light and delicate silk, with intricate patterns shaped like snowflakes.

Golden light dances and shimmers across the murals, glowing brilliantly amid the interplay of light and shadow.

These details are achieved through masterful techniques. The ancient artisans first outlined the designs, then applied a paste to create raised lines, and finally attached gold leaves. The murals were painted using natural mineral pigments such as raw lacquer and pearl powder, which have allowed the colors to endure.

Renowned for its exquisite Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) murals, the Guanyin Temple is located in Xinjin district, Chengdu, in Southwest China's Sichuan province. An inscription on an unearthed cultural artifact confirms that the ruler of the Shu princely fiefdom (today's Sichuan) invited imperial artisans to supervise the creation of these murals.

Originally built in 1181, the temple was historically recorded to have 108 halls and pavilions. After suffering repeated damage over the centuries, only a few structures from the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties have been preserved today.

For the ongoing fourth national census of cultural relics, a comprehensive digital archive has been created for the Guanyin Temple, documenting its architecture, statues, murals, and stone carvings with advanced scanning and imaging technology.

"This accurate data has laid a solid foundation for the temple's systematic protection in the future," says Yan Bin, director of the cultural relics protection center in Xinjin district.

Besides three-dimensional models of buildings, courtyards and painted sculptures, cultural relics protection workers have also detected areas at risk for the temple's murals, such as peeling, cracks, and historical repairs.

One mural was repainted during the Qing Dynasty. With the help of advanced imaging technology, part of the original Ming Dynasty painting underneath can be seen.

"In a mural, the intricate details of three layers of transparent gauze of the bodhisattva are visible under the high-definition infrared camera," he says.

During the restoration of the murals, they adopted virtual restoration techniques, using such plans as a reference for physical restoration.

Yan adds that it's important to explore and understand the Guanyin Temple's cultural significance and integrate it with digital documentation, conservation and utilization.

Based on the standards of the fourth national cultural relics census, Chengdu has put forward more accurate and detailed data collection requirements and formulated the technical specifications for the registration of cultural relics in the city, covering categories such as ancient tombs and architecture. Industry insiders call them the "Chengdu Standards".

"As required by the Chengdu Standards, we submitted no fewer than 20 drawings for just one hall in Guanyin Temple, including standard floor plans, elevations and sections. The total number of drawings is considerable. The staff members have carried out meticulous, in-depth work," says Cai Yukun, an associate researcher at the Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

She adds that ancient buildings that are not graded as protected cultural heritage sites are also included in the fourth national census, and some of them hold significant value.

One of the new discoveries that emerged from the fourth national cultural relics census in Xinjin district is the Ming Dynasty inscription on a stone stele in the Guanyin Temple.

Housed within a small hall rebuilt in the late Qing Dynasty, the back of the stele lies about 30 centimeters from a wall, with various obstacles in the vicinity, resulting in the inscription remaining undiscovered for a long time.

The inscription records the temple's history, including its origin, transformation, and Buddhist masters. It also reflects the collaborative efforts of monks, officials, scholars, and farmers in the temple's revival, a typical example of temple construction during the Ming Dynasty.

"If we lacked a responsible attitude and a meticulous approach to the cultural relics census, this stone stele inscription could easily have been overlooked," Yan says.

"The discovery provides new materials for the study of the development of Buddhism and the construction of Buddhist temples in the Ming Dynasty."