Archaeologists in southwest China's Tibetan autonomous region said they have started the repair work on ancient fresco depicting life in an ancient Tibetan kingdom.
The renovation project, costing 10 million yuan (1.58 million U.S. dollars), will see experts restoring 876 square meters of murals spread through five palace halls and one grotto in the Guge Kindom Ruins, the Cultural Relics Bureau of the Ngari Prefecture told Xinhua on Sunday.
The ruins, located in the Zanda county of Ngari prefecture, were once a city in the Guge Kingdom, which ruled western Tibet since the 10th century but disappeared mysteriously during the 17th century.
The murals depicted the kingdom's politics, economy, technology and society with a unique painting style that combined Tibetan, Indian and Nepal elements, said Fu Peng, the project's leading expert on mural repair.
Large areas of the murals are now in urgent need of repair due to natural and human damage and contamination, which have caused some murals to peel from their original places, Fu said.
Experts said the repair work, expected to finish by July 2013, will use materials and binders that pose no harm to the murals, and the team will draw on its mural repairing experience in Potala Palace, Norbulingka, and Sakya Monastery.
The restoration of the mural is part of governmental efforts to maintain the Guge Kingdom Ruins. Maintenance work on the ruins started in 2011 with an investment of more than 57 million yuan.
The Guge Kingdom Ruins are among the first group of historical relics placed under state protection in China. A large number of colorful paintings, clay and stone sculptures are classified as part of the ruins.
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