Forbidden City Benefits from Scottish Know How –

Smog and Tourists Destroying Famous Palace

If you ever see pictures of China’s capital Beijing you’ll know that the city is under a constant cloud of smog and air pollution  which with rising temperatures are destroying the historic emperor’s palace called the Forbidden City. But the terrific job done by Scotland’s conservation movement has led to Historic Environment Scotland (HES) an environmental watchdog and Stirling University being recruited to help the ailing palace.

Centuries of History under Threat

The Forbidden City is a huge affair and served as the palace for 24 emperors. It was Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty, used from1420 to 1912. It was only with the Boxer rebellion at the turn of the last century that the Imperial dynasty was weakened to the point of collapse. Now it is the buildings that are on the point of collapse as the wear and tear of millions of visitors and air pollution take their toll on the buildings scattered across 180 acres of the site, which is one of the greatest of the Earth’s architectural treasures.

Hi-Tech Solutions

Now Scottish experts are working with specialists in the Chinese capital to restore the complex and stop the degradation using a combination of hard won experience and new hi-tech methods to preserve these historic monuments.  The technology will include thermal imaging techniques pioneered by HES. These are techniques that tackle water damage caused by pollution and a warming climate.  The palace is subject to flooding and water damage is a threat at certain times of the year. Monitoring the ongoing degradation is one of the major tasks of any restorers and pioneering 3D imaging of the palace will allow Forbidden City staff to keep the sharpest of eyes on the complex, especially in areas not visited by tourists. But the main focus of the initiative with the Scottish institutions is the training of Chinese in the restoration of the palace with everything included from stone masonry to graduate conservation programmes.

The Finer Things

Now you may wonder how I can lurch from a blog entry about Beijing to rhapsodising about the fine products of James Pirie, but I just think that if you are interested in the finer things of life, including the magnificent Forbidden City, then you will be naturally interested in our finer things, which for me must include the truly lovely Dragonfly Range. This range is also pretty much all half price at the moment.  Go on spoil yourself, or someone you care about.

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