作为文明古国，中国有着悠久的历史和灿烂的文化，几千年来为世界留下了绵延不绝的文化瑰宝。每一件文物，承载着不同时期的重大事件，亦或是记录着不同朝代的人文生活，让历史鲜活地呈现在我们的眼前。

　　当我们被这些文物所惊艳和震撼的同时，也不得不承认，时间让它们逐渐褪去了昔日的“容颜”。瓷器破损、壁画褪色、庙宇荒芜，都逃不过岁月的痕迹。幸运的是，时间也见证了它们背后的守护者们世代的付出与奉献，他们拭去岁月的尘埃，给予文物的“第二次生命”。

　　他们就是文物保护修复师们，如同医生一样，为文物“望闻问切”量身定制开出“处方”；“中西合璧”将传统工艺与新兴科技相结合，让文物的生命在历史的长河中得以延续。而他们的“病人”则是举世无双的文化瑰宝：北京故宫的宏伟宫殿，山西平遥的古城城墙，陕西西安的秦兵马俑又或是千年历史的青铜器皿……

　　国家文物局数据显示，全国共有国有可移动文物1.08亿件（套），不可移动文物76.7万处。全国文物系统从业人员达到16万人。 一代又一代的文物保护修复师们更替传承，但责任与热忱从未减退。在文化和自然遗产日即将到来之际，我们一起走进文物修复师们的世界。

　　Heroes of the past　　

　　With a long history and rich cultural splendors, ancient China provided the world with an uninterrupted lineage of civilizations lasting for millennia that are still inspiring.

　　Thanks to the cultural relics our ancestors left behind, key events that might have influenced the destiny of a dynasty, or special moments in the lives of people long gone, come to life.

　　However, when we pay to admire, and in some cases be astounded by, such relics, we can hardly ignore the fact that, often, time has taken its toll on the relics, be they porcelain shards, fading murals or weathered roofs on ancient temples.

　　Fortunately, time has also witnessed the dedication and diligence of those who painstakingly keep the past alive and relevant. Their devotion is often counted in generations. Behind the polished museum exhibits, these are the people who wipe the dust of ages from the artifacts and give a second life to the items that have been silent observers of history.

　　They are, of course, the conservators and restorers of cultural relics. Just like medical practitioners who vow to spare no effort to save a patient, they, too, make diagnoses and tailor treatment to ailments of the nation’s treasures. They combine traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology to ensure their longevity.

　　Their “patients” are often icons, like the grand palace at the Forbidden City in Beijing, the walls of Pingyao Ancient City in Shanxi province, millennia-old bronzewares, scarred with verdigris and a timeworn patina, or the magnificent underground legion of the Terracotta Warriors from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

　　Generation after generation, deft hands and keen eyes, powered by robust hearts and unbowed enthusiasm, have skillfully kept the twin wolves of damage and decay at bay.

　　According to the National Cultural Heritage Administration, an army of more than 160,000 people is engaged in cultural relic-related work nationwide, protecting the more than 108 million cultural relics, which are housed in China’s public institutions, and the 767,000 “unmovable” monuments, ancient architecture, structures and heritage sites that are registered nationwide.

　　Tourists walk by the Gate of Supreme Harmony, which is under restoration, at the Palace Museum, on April 23.

　　2023年4月23日，北京故宫博物院，游客从正在修缮的太和门前走过。

　　On March 31, veteran restorer Lan Desheng, 55, from Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, examines a Terracotta Warrior at the institute in Xi’an, Shaanxi province.

　　2023年3月31日，陕西西安，今年55岁的秦始皇帝陵博物院修复专家兰德省在修复现场正在保护一件彩绘俑头。兰德省修复秦俑26年，在漫长的职业生涯中，他带领团队修复了130余件兵马俑。

　　He（Lan Desheng）applies an eye drop on a terracotta statue to clean the eye. 

　　2023年4月3日，陕西西安，秦始皇帝陵博物院文物修复专家兰德省用毛笔将医院眼科上常用的聚乙二醇滴眼液拿来保护兵马俑的“眼睛”。这样既有保湿作用，还能慢慢地浸润、清理残留在眼角的细小微生物。

　　Xi Jiulong, head of the Yongle Palace mural art protection research institute, introduces a mural at the palace in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, on March 28.

　　2023年3月28日，山西运城，永乐宫壁画保护研究院院长席九龙介绍三清殿壁画的起甲、脱落、粉化等病害问题。

　　Plastic sheets are applied to the rammed earth of the city wall of Pingyao Ancient City, in Jinzhong, Shanxi province, on Oct 20, 2021.

　　2021年10月20日，山西省平遥县，平遥古城城墙内侧夯土裸露，工作人员用塑料布遮挡当天的小雨。

　　Two young restorers gather 3D data from a statue in Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi province, on April 6.

　　2023年4月6日，山西大同，两名年轻的云冈石窟数字化团队成员王家鑫（右）和庞博正在采集三维数据。云冈石窟借助科技进行文物修复和保护，建立“数字档案”，助力古老石窟“活起来”。

　　On March 23, at Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan, Shanxi, a restorer works on a mural.

　　2023年3月23日，山西太原，山西博物院壁画修复师对该省吕梁市兴县裴家川口村发掘的壁画进行加固处理保护。

　　On May 16, Fan Zaixuan, 62, a restorer at Dunhuang Academy, works on a damaged mural at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu province.

　　2023年5月16日，甘肃敦煌，敦煌研究院文物保护专家樊再轩在莫高窟第196窟文物保护修复工作现场。62岁的樊老师在敦煌研究院已经工作了42年，虽然退休了，但仍坚守在文物保护工作的第一线。