The Qianlong Garden in Beijing's Palace Museum (Forbidden City) has reopened to the public after a 25-year, $20 million conservation project in partnership with the World Monuments Fund (WMF). The 1.6-hectare garden, built between 1771 and 1776, features 27 buildings with elaborate decorations including rare silk trompe l'oeil murals, jade inlays, and bamboo thread marquetry. Restoration began in 2002 with the Juanqinzhai pavilion and was completed in 2008, followed by work on structures such as Fuwangge, Zhuxiangguan, and Yucuixuan. The project also includes an exhibition on the garden's history and a larger show at the Meridian Gate Gallery marking 100 years since the Forbidden City opened to the public.
This project matters because it represents one of the World Monuments Fund's longest-running partnerships and its first major initiative in China, setting a model for preserving 18th-century Chinese imperial design that incorporates European influences like trompe l'oeil. The conservation effort also spawned the Craft programme in Beijing, which has trained over 75 professional conservators in combining modern science with traditional Chinese craftsmanship, addressing a critical gap in professional conservation training in China. The reopening offers rare public access to a largely untouched imperial garden and highlights the ongoing collaboration between international and Chinese heritage organizations.