Zhang Xuguang

01 · Lineage & Regional School

In 1979 he began studying the mounting and restoration of calligraphy and paintings under his father Zhang Yaoxuan, becoming the third-generation transmitter of the family tradition. Within the regional tradition and school record of Mounting and Restoration Craftsmanship in Gugongbowuyuan: The mounting and restoration craft of ancient calligraphy and painting is a unique traditional manual skill of China, mainly used for the decoration, restoration, and recovery of paintings, calligraphy, inscribed stone rubbings, and the like. It has a history of over 1,700 years. Chinese traditional mounting and restoration techniques developed over the long course of the Jin, Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, and by the Ming and Qing periods had largely taken definitive form, giving rise to two schools: the "Jing mounting" (Jingbiao) centered on Beijing and the "Su mounting" (Subiao) centered on Suzhou. During the Republican era, China's painting-and-calligraphy restoration trade formed two major schools represented respectively by Yu Chi Shan Fang and Da Shu Zhai on Liulichang in Beijing, and Ji Gu Ge and Liu Dingzhi Zhuangchi in Shanghai. After the founding of the People's Republic, master mounters from Liu Dingzhi Zhuangchi, Yu Chi Shan Fang, and other establishments were invited to the Palace Museum to take sole charge of the mounting and restoration of its collected painting and calligraphy artifacts. They restored a group of national-treasure-level works—including "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan of the Song dynasty, "Spring Outing" by Zhan Ziqian of the Sui dynasty, "Five Oxen" by Han Huang of the Tang dynasty, and "Night Revels of Han Xizai" by Gu Hongzhong of the Five Dynasties—while also training many specialists in ancient calligraphy and painting mounting and restoration for the Palace Museum.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Han ethnicity, born in March 1958 in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Representative bearer of mounting and restoration craftsmanship (the mounting and restoration of ancient calligraphy and paintings), a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. In 1986 he was transferred to the Department of Conservation Science and Technology of the Palace Museum to work on the restoration of ancient calligraphy and paintings. He has restored dozens of first- and second-class national cultural relics, including the Northern Song Lotus Sutra of the Wondrous Dharma (Miaofa Lianhua Jing) and Zhou Chen's Gazing Afar from a Riverside Cottage (Jianglu Yuan Tiao) of the Ming, as well as hundreds of third-class and lower relics and new works. He took part in the restoration project of the panoramic paintings in the Juanqin Zhai at the Palace Museum. Using the waxed paper (lajian zhi) in the Palace Museum collection as a model, he revived the craft of making waxed paper, which had been lost for a hundred years, produced double-sided waxed paper, and for the first time used this craft to restore an imperial edict on waxed paper from the Zhengtong reign of the Ming. He emphasises the transmission of skills and the training of talent, and has taught more than twenty apprentices, including Hou Yan, for the Palace Museum and other institutions. Within the documented technical tradition of Mounting and Restoration Craftsmanship in Gugongbowuyuan: Mounting was called "biaobei" in ancient times, also known as "zhuanghuang" or "zhuangchi." The ancient calligraphy-and-painting mounting and restoration craft of the long-famous time-honored shop "Rongbaozhai" possesses its own distinctive and complete craft process; it is the most concentrated embodiment of "Jing mounting" and stands uniquely in the national mounting community. Over years of development, the Beijing ancient-character mounting and restoration craft has formed its own distinctive character, with its own specialized tools, materials, styles, and techniques. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Recorded Craft Procedures": The ancient calligraphy-and-painting mounting and restoration craft of the long-famous time-honored shop "Rongbaozhai" possesses its own distinctive and complete craft process; it is the most concentrated embodiment of "Jing mounting" and stands uniquely in the national mounting community.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2018, Zhang Xuguang was announced in the fifth batch of national representative bearers for Mounting and Restoration Craftsmanship, with Gugongbowuyuan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Mounting and Restoration Craftsmanship in Gugongbowuyuan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Gugongbowuyuan as its declared area, and Palace Museum as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Zhang Xuguang · National Representative Bearer Archive