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. The restoration began with the Juanqinzhai pavilion in 2002 and was completed in 2008, followed by work on three other structures. The project also involved recreating traditional materials and techniques that had fallen out of practice.
The reopening matters because it preserves a unique example of 18th-century Chinese imperial design that incorporates European aesthetic influences, such as trompe l'oeil introduced by Italian artist Giuseppe Castiglione. The garden had been largely closed during the 20th century, leaving its original furnishings untouched. The project is WMF's longest-running partnership and its first major initiative in China, and it has led to the Craft training program in Beijing, which has trained over 75 professional conservators. The reopening also coincides with an exhibition at the Meridian Gate Gallery marking 100 years since the Forbidden City first opened to the public.