EveryDetailCounts
Asmallgroupoftourists,comparedwithtwoyearsago,tiptoedtheirwayacrosstheDurbarSquare,craningtheirneckstopicturethethengrandeurthathadlastedforamillennium,butwasdestroyedwithinafewhours.Theoncedenselysituatedpalaceshadbeenscaffoldedandcoveredwithconstructionnets.
Thenine-storytempleisoneofthelandmarktouristdestinationsofNepal,proclaimedin1979byUNESCOasanimportantpartofKathmanduValleyHeritage.Thetemplenotonlyhashistoricalsignificance,butisalsoanimportantarchitecturalfeatinthecountry.InApril2015,itwasseriouslydamagedandpartiallycollapsedduetoanearthquakemeasuring8.1ontheRichterscale.Statisticsindicatethatamong14ancientstructuresattheDurbarSquarethatwerewreckedtovarieddegrees,12areaccreditedUNESCOworldheritagesites.
Thetempleconsistsoffourturretsandseveralannexedbuildings.Thetoptwostoriesofthetemplehavebeenshakentoruins.Uponacloserlookattherelics,thebricksandstonesbearvisiblecracksandtheremainingstructurelooksracketyanddilapidated,despitebeingbolsteredupfromtheexterior.
Rescueworkfortheculturalrelicsstartedinearly2016,fearingthattheupcomingrainyseasonmightbringfurtherdamages.YangCheng,theon-siteengineerfromtheHebeiAcademyofBuildingResearch,said,“Weuseddrones,3-Dscanning,andon-siteinvestigationforthisdemandingprojecttoensurethateverydetailwasperfectlyrecovered.”
Engineersmeticulouslysavedthesurvivingbricksandtilesfromtheearthquaketobeusedagainintherestoration.Eachpiecewasnumbered,recorded,andstudiedinordertoputtheminplaceagain.EngineerslikenedtherecoveryprocesstostackingLegosonamuchmoreadvancedlevel.Thedifferenceisthattheycannotmakeonesinglemistake,andthemissingtileshavetobemadetheexactsameastheoriginals.
Oneofthefundamentalrulesofancientbuildingmaintenanceisstickingtoitsoriginalflavor.However,thisiseasiersaidthandone.Asanexpertonprotectingculturalrelics,invitedbytheChineseAcademyofCulturalHeritage,ProfessorLüZhouoftheNationalHeritageCenterofTsinghuaUniversity(THU-NHC)said,“ThelocalreligiouspracticehasbeendeeplyinfluencedbyTibetanBuddhism,andtheirreligiousarchitecturealsoshowsitsownregionaldistinctions.”EngineersmayapplytheirexperienceinprotectingandpreservingTibetanculturalheritage,butthisalonewouldnotbeenough.Manylocalcraftsmenhavebeenrecruitedasmembersoftherecoveryproject.ReconstructionisunderwayafterthedevastatingearthquakeinNepalinApril2015.TheChineseRestorationMethod
ThetempleislocatedatthecenteroftheKathmanduValleyCulturalHeritagesite,whichhasnowbeenturnedintoan“internationalarena”forrestoringculturalheritage.LüZhousaidthatinstitutionsfromtheU.S.,Japan,SouthKorea,andIndiahaveparticipatedinthecountry’sculturalheritagerestorationwork,withChinaoptingforoneofthemostchallengingtasks—recoveringthenine-storytemple.
AccordingtoLü,theChineseteamhasdedicatedthemselvestothisdemandingprojecttoensurequality,demonstratingChina’sconcepts,capability,technique,andtheChinesewayofculturalheritagepreservation.
EventhoughmosttemplesattheDurbarSquareareundermaintenance,manylocalpeoplecontinuetovisitandworship.AlocalworkernamedSonirtoldthereporterthattheearthquakehasnotchangedtheirlifestyleandhebelievesthatwiththeaidfromChinatheirlifewillsoonbebroughtbacktothenormaltrack.
“ForNepalese,atemplebearsgreatersignificancethanaroadorabridge.”Lübelievesthatalongwithlarge-scaleinfrastructureprojects,Chinashouldputmorefocusonmorepeople-orientedgestures,likeheritagepreservation.Thenine-storytemplerecoverytaskhasbeentakenbytheChineseAcademyofCulturalHeritage,thefirsttimetheyhaveworkedoverseas.Apartfromensuringqualityreconstructionwork,figuringouthowtoguaranteereligiouspracticeofthelocalsandmaintaintouristactivitieshavebecomenewtopicsforChineseacademiesofhistoricpreservationtoconsider.
“Therecoveryprojectisnotonlyanassistanceprojectbutascientificstudy.Startingfromtheconsensusbetweenthetwosides,tothesystematicexcavationandarrangementoftherelics,thisisaprofoundstudyforhistoricalandreligiousstudyofSouthAsiaandadjacentareas.”
BijayaKumarGacchedar,NepaleseMinisterofFederalAffairsandLocalDevelopment,confirmedthattherecoveryprojectisatestamenttotheexpandingChina-Nepalcooperationinmultiplefields.“Chinalentussupportintechnologyandexpertiseandwelookforwardtoourculturaltreasuresshowingtheirradiantglamouragain.”HeextendedhisgratitudeforChina’sselflessaidforNepal.Hementionedthe2017NepalTourismYearinChinaandbelievedthattherecoveryoftheirnine-storytemple,animportantmeasuretorevitalizeNepalesetourism,wouldsoonbringtheirtouristindustrytothefasttrack.CZOUSONGisPeople’sDailySpecialCorrespondentinNepal.