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Besides on-site research, copying restored patterns is also a feature of Professor Li's class. Over the years, he has led his graduate students to survey paintings across northern China, including Beijing, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, and Liao-ning. They measure the patterns, take photos and document them.

Lotuses and waterweeds in a section of a ceiling painting, by Professor Li Sha, Hou Qiyue, and Liu Qin.

Professor Li believes that students can only spot the changes in painting patterns over the past few centuries through on-site inspection and documenting. Then they can truly understand the essence of the art form. Information in textbooks and printed materials is limited, unable to present all facets of the art. Based on their on-site surveying, Professor Li guides students to draw restored patterns in scale and perceive the correlation of different patterns in the same picture: the primary and secondary colors, the contrasting colors, and the colors in gradation.

When conducting research at Fahai Temple in western Beijing, Professor Li found colored drawings of mandalas on the ceiling, rarely seen elsewhere. But around 80 percent of paintings had faded. Compared with photos taken in the past, most of the details could no longer be seen. First built in 1439, the temple is of high artistic value, especially its murals and decorative paintings. The situation of preservation, however, is not optimistic.

"Those original paintings are valuable in historical, art, cultural, and social research," said Professor Li. "When they are gone, they are gone." It is imperative to rescue and document the color paintings found in ancient buildings, and Professor Li is taking action in this regard.

Moves to Raise Awareness

Professor Li has pushed for the protection and passing down of the art of colored drawings in ancient buildings. The Forbidden City has become one of the bases of the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture for practicum. In the restoration project of the Yangxin Hall (Hall of Mental Cultivation) of the Forbidden City, Professor Li and his graduate students are responsible for the research and analysis work concerning colored drawings. Under the guidance of veteran craftsmen, students are able to learn traditional painting skills, gold powder sifting, and gilding, and have the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice.

To raise public awareness of this unique traditional art, Professor Li held a series of thematic exhibitions, including two during Beijing Design Week in 2013 and 2016 respectively, one held at the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum during the APEC Beijing Summit in 2014, and one presenting his own works of decorative painting in Hong Kong in 2015. These exhibitions allow more people to enjoy this marvelous traditional art form and promote awareness among a wider audience and this is exactly what Professor Li dreams of doing.

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