The Forbidden City is well known for being full of Chinese cultural and historical relics. But Masters in the Forbidden City does not just focus on the stories of the past. Instead, the documentary film, which came out in Chinese cinemas on Dec. 16, focuses on ordinary people—the restorers of relics and antiquities.
The stories are told at a slow and relaxed pace, reflecting the restorers’ work. Restoration of cultural relics and antiques can be time-consuming, and sometimes boring. Yet these restorers’ patience and peace of mind are especially precious in a society where everything is changing so fast.
“If you choose this job, you have to stand hours of work sitting on a chair. You need to be quiet and get used to being quiet,” says Wang Jin, an ancient clock repair expert.
A touching part of the documentary is the spirit of craftsmanship in the restorers. “Years of dull work requires not only skill, but also faith and spirit,” China Daily commented. “Looking for precision and perfection, devoting yourself to work, patience, endurance, loneliness. All these qualities come from the ‘craftsman spirit’.”
But unlike the popular idea of serious experts who sit around being serious, the documentary shows off the enthusiasm of the restorers. They play their guitars and make jokes about each other after a long day of restoration work. One scene that has been very popular with Internet users features a young female restorer riding a bicycle through the empty Forbidden City on a Monday. While she is doing this, a narrator says, “The last person to do this was Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing dynasty.”
Masters in the Forbidden City has proved many people’s ideas about antique restorers wrong, allowing them to realize that they are not old, dull professors, but people in their 40s, 30s and even 20s who can be quite pleasing to the eye.
4. What’s the main purpose of the documentary?
A.To display relics seldom seen. | B.To draw attention to the restorers’ lives. |
C.To show people how antiques are restored. | D.To praise the craftsmanship of the restorers. |
5. According to Wang Jin, we can learn that antique restorers _______.
A.often get tired of their work. | B.need to be patient and peaceful. |
C.don’t need to do restoration work fast. | D.have to do the restoration on their own. |
6. The bicycle-riding scene in the documentary is used to _______.
A.break the dull image of restorers. | B.show the hobbies of younger restorers. |
C.remind the audience of the last emperor. | D.encourage the young to consider the future. |
7. Where can you most probably find the passage?
A.In a news report. | B.In a career research. |
C.In a cultural magazine. | D.In an interview record. |