China lacks skilled workers to repair relics

China has only 2,000 professional relics repair personnel and it would take more than a century for them to repair all the relics stored in museums around the country, Beijing Times reported on Thursday.

According to Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, the national museum in Beijing, there are more than 1,500 damaged relics urgently in need of repair in China and it would take at least 150 years for the 2,000 professional personnel to complete the work.

In addition, 75 percent of city and county governments have no cultural relics administrative bodies.

Shan suggested that China should improve its cultural relics administrative agencies and accelerate the training of professional heritage protection personnel.