Guardian of the Heritage of Ancient Chinese Architectual Colored Drawings

By+special+correspondents+CHEN+HEYING+&+PAN+JIANFANG

COLORED drawings adorning traditional wooden structures in China are a decorative necessity. This artistic form is unique and distinct， representing some of the best oriental design.

A richly ornamented building is often admired for its carved beams and painted rafters. Exquisite paintings draw the visitors eye away from the entire construction to the detailed decorations， their delicate patterns， thoughtful composition， and harmonious color tones. They convey the essence of Chinese culture， aesthetic spirit， and oriental philosophy.

Paintings on the Beams

Professor Li Sha from Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture is a champion of the art of colored drawings. Whilst studying at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts he was fascinated by the decorative effect of colored drawings on ancient buildings. In over 30 years of teaching， Professor Li has explored the integration between architecture and art. Architecture is a form of art， Professor Li says， so the two are interwoven and inseparable. He has made it his mission in life to protect the art of colored drawings and pass it on to the next generation.

People originally applied paint to wooden constructions to protect the wood from damp， rot， and moths， thus prolonging the life of the architecture. Later， the focus shifted to decoration and as late as in the Song Dynasty （960-1279） colored drawings became a staple element of palace construction. The paintings， luxurious and elegant， all follow strict rules concerning their degree of decorativeness and amount of gold used according to status and function of the building. This coupling of aesthetics and functionality reflects traditional Chinese philosophy and ethics.

Official designers in the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911） developed a series of color painting techniques that were used in official architectures and varied in styles and themes： Hexi featured magnificence and bright colors； Xuanzi was known for grand and brisk paintings； and elegant Sushi paintings mimicked a style popular in eastern China. Some paintings had auspicious implications.

Passing Skills On

For centuries the techniques necessary for colored drawings have been passed down through apprenticeship. Apprentices learned while observing their masters work and tried their hand at painting under guidance. In recent years， however， fewer people have taken up this profession， which has led to a shortage of skilled muralists.

With few successors， the ancient art form could face extinction. According to Professor Li， this is not an exageration. He believes including the skills in the college curriculum， including the practicum， is important for passing them down. At present， architecture and art are different majors， with few teachers or students taking both into account. For example， fine arts academies usually have courses on murals， which， however， do not include this type of colorful decorative paintings on their syllabus. Architecture colleges have majors on historical architecture conservation， but their students， most of whom have an engineering background， lack the ability to design.

In an effort to integrate the two majors， Professor Li visited and learned from many experts in art education and veteran color painters. On the basis of his own teaching and research， he mastered the rules and each step of the design process. Thanks to Professor Lis long-time advocacy and efforts， Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture adopted the decorative paintings found in ancient buildings in its undergraduate curriculum in 2014， marking it the first course of its kind. Art theory research is also under way in Professor Lis graduate class.

In his introductory lessons， Professor Li guides his students to paint simple patterns， such as flowers and clouds， to get a feel for traditional aesthetics and build confidence. Students then start to deal with more complex patterns like dragons and phoenixes.

Professor Li takes students to restored ancient buildings， such as the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City， Xitian Fanjing （the Realm of Buddha） in Beihai Park， and the Baoguang Room in Prince Gongs Mansion. These field trips allow young students to see different classes and categories of decorative paintings. They also have the opportunity to sift gold powder and gild to develop a sense of color contrast and harmony.

Besides on-site research， copying restored patterns is also a feature of Professor Lis class. Over the years， he has led his graduate students to survey paintings across northern China， including Beijing， Qinghai， Inner Mongolia， Shanxi， Hebei， and Liao- ning. They measure the patterns， take photos and document them.

Professor Li believes that students can only spot the changes in painting patterns over the past few centuries through on-site inspection and documenting. Then they can truly understand the essence of the art form. Information in textbooks and printed materials is limited， unable to present all facets of the art. Based on their on-site surveying， Professor Li guides students to draw restored patterns in scale and perceive the correlation of different patterns in the same picture： the primary and secondary colors， the contrasting colors， and the colors in gradation.

When conducting research at Fahai Temple in western Beijing， Professor Li found colored drawings of mandalas on the ceiling， rarely seen elsewhere. But around 80 percent of paintings had faded. Compared with photos taken in the past， most of the details could no longer be seen. First built in 1439， the temple is of high artistic value， especially its murals and decorative paintings. The situation of preservation， however， is not optimistic.

“Those original paintings are valuable in historical， art， cultural， and social research，” said Professor Li. “When they are gone， they are gone.” It is imperative to rescue and document the color paintings found in ancient buildings， and Professor Li is taking action in this regard.

Moves to Raise Awareness

Professor Li has pushed for the protection and passing down of the art of colored drawings in ancient buildings. The Forbidden City has become one of the bases of the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture for practicum. In the restoration project of the Yangxin Hall （Hall of Mental Cultivation） of the Forbidden City， Professor Li and his graduate students are responsible for the research and analysis work concerning colored drawings. Under the guidance of veteran craftsmen， students are able to learn traditional painting skills， gold powder sifting， and gilding， and have the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice.

To raise public awareness of this unique traditional art， Professor Li held a series of thematic exhibitions， including two during Beijing Design Week in 2013 and 2016 respectively， one held at the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum during the APEC Beijing Summit in 2014， and one presenting his own works of decorative painting in Hong Kong in 2015. These exhibitions allow more people to enjoy this marvelous traditional art form and promote awareness among a wider audience and this is exactly what Professor Li dreams of doing.