The merry monk of Hangzhou(2)

It took Lin Haizhong, a professor at the China Academy of Art, and his students more than two years to restore the work.

"While there are manuscripts to provide clues to the restoration of most traditional Chinese murals, in this case we are creating completely new murals," Lin said.

According to historical records, a prototype of Ji lived in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when Hangzhou was the capital city. They restored the city's landscape to the way it looked 800 years ago, in deference to Ji's life and work.

The Southern Song Dynasty was one of the most prosperous and advanced economies in ancient times, due to vigorous trade along the Grand Canal.

The emperors steadfastly believed in Buddhism and Taoism, leading to the construction of numerous temples along the Qiantang River and West Lake of the city.

Over time, the magnificent palaces, exquisite buildings and solemn temples were mostly destroyed in blasts during wars. Genuine Song Dynasty constructions have left no traces at all along the West Lake.

Lin and his students devoted much of their time researching the panorama of the city and urban life at that time.

They have closely studied the features of a large number of round silk fans, preserved in the Palace Museum and those in Shanghai and Shenyang.

The silk fans from the Southern Song Dynasty depict scenes from daily lives of ordinary urban people.

In August 2010, a group of restorers spent half a month traveling to Japan to study ancient architecture in Kyoto and Nara, where buildings from the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties are well-preserved.

A close observation reveals that Hangzhou's scenic spots such as the Lingyin Temple, Liuhe Tower, Leifeng Tower and even the West Lake figure in the murals, although they look slightly different from their current images.

Many people picture Ji wearing a broken monk's cap and torn cassock, holding a broken fan. Some of his behavior was considered eccentric and even mad, but he spoke with humor and was kind-hearted. Most of all, he was deeply loved by the common people.

To draw a vivid image of the monk, Lin and his students went through various versions of Ji's stories and the resources in Lingyin Temple. Finally they decided to depict him as a ragged, jocular and kind monk, in keeping with the mythology about him.

The humid climate poses a threat to the murals. Lin said that in the next decade the murals will have to be watched closely to arrest the paint from chipping off and necessary repairs will be made.