Masters in the Forbidden City – Horologist Wang Jin

　　Recently, a documentary titled Masters in the Forbidden City became a viral hit online, and one of its central figures—Wang Jin, a horological restorer at the Forbidden City—has gained a devoted following among young fans. This poised and elegant palace clock restorer, who has worked in the Forbidden City for nearly 40 years, is now affectionately dubbed online as the Forbidden City heart-throb and the Zheng Shaoqiu of the Forbidden City.

　　Entered the palace at age 16, pursuing his career for forty years to this day

　　The interview was scheduled for two o'clock in the afternoon, but Master Wang Jin was already waiting in the meeting room by ten to two. Outside the meeting room stood his Phoenix bicycle, which he has ridden since 1986. The frame is weathered, though the saddle appears to have been replaced. After years of repairs and maintenance 30, Master Wang Jin relies on it for his daily commute.

　　Wang Jin is 55 years old this year. Since 'entering the palace' at age 16, he has been there for nearly 40 years. In 1977, led by the veteran director of the Palace Museum's cultural relic restoration workshop, Wang Jin took his first tour through the various palaces not open to the public. Turning left at the West Prosperity Gate and following the red walls, one arrives at the 'Da Bei Gong', once a place of seclusion, where the clock restoration room is located. Wang Jin's future mentor, Ma Yuliang, was working there at the time. 'Master Ma put down his work and asked me what I liked. He also started a few clocks he had finished repairing; they moved and chimed on the table, and I found it truly magical.'

　　Thus concluded the mentor and apprentice's first meeting. Another week passed, and in mid-12 of that year, Wang Jin received notice to report to the clock room for work. From that day on, he began his 40-year horological restoration career within the rooms of this modest courtyard.

　　Clocks Like a Labyrinth: One Clock That Took Over a Year to Repair

　　For the first year, one was not permitted to touch cultural relics, starting instead with training one's tactile sense and learning the tools. Only after a year did one begin restoring the simplest imperial clocks. In 1981, Wang Jin, after a year as an apprentice 4, set to work on his first significant cultural relic: a Qing dynasty triangular wooden tower clock. Standing seventy to eighty centimetres tall, it featured a single movement driving dials on three sides, which was exceptionally rare. Before restoration, the clock's exterior was on the verge of falling apart, and the movement was non-functional. Through the concerted efforts of Wang Jin and the woodwork team, the movement was dismantled, cleaned, and reassembled, while the unglued casing was re-glued. This clock remains on public display in the Forbidden City's Gallery of Clocks today.

　　The item that left the deepest impression on Wang Jin was a conjuror automaton clock. This clock was manufactured by Swiss watchmaking master Louis Rochat in the ninth year of the Daoguang era. Its remarkable feature is that it contains an elderly figure performing magic tricks, holding beans and small balls in his hands. When running, the small bird atop the clock continuously opens its beak, turns, and flaps its wings, the sphere beneath it rotates accordingly, and three discs simultaneously change colour and spin.

　　We intended to begin restoration work on it starting in 1998, but I never dared to touch it. What made even Wang Jin feel apprehensive? This clock comprises over 1000 components, assembled into 7 systems and 5 mechanical linkages, with the gears in the base forming a veritable labyrinth. Swiss experts have also visited the palace to inspect it, and it is universally recognised as one of the most complex Western clocks in the world.

　　A broken movement, a damaged door, snapped chains... Assisted by his apprentice Qi Haonan, Wang Jin spent a total of over a year successfully repairing this clock. Following the completion of its restoration in 2010, the timepiece was exhibited in the Netherlands for half a year, and it is now safely stored in the repository.

　　Broken Teeth the Size of Rice Grains: Repairs Depend Entirely on Sharp Eyesight

　　Occasionally I travel abroad. It is an occupational hazard—wherever I go, I like to seek out clocks and watches to view. Wang Jin made a special trip to Russia specifically to see the world-renowned Peacock Clock, and likewise visited the Royal Palace of Spain solely to tour antique clocks. Having seen various examples, he concluded that our Forbidden City's clocks are still the finest. In terms of intricate construction and complex functionality, the collection in the Forbidden City is truly without peer anywhere in the world.

　　Wang Jin told reporters that the Shunzhi, Kangxi, and Qianlong emperors of the Qing dynasty were especially fond of Western clocks, which were considered the emperor's advancedMechanical watchToys. The complexity of the clockwork at the Forbidden City is incomparable to standard timepieces, and restoration cannot rely on modern standardised methods. The four generations of clock restorers at the Forbidden City have always adhered to traditional techniques. For instance, they still use kerosene as a cleaning agent because modern cleaning solutions are too corrosive. Clocks restored by previous generations of masters have remained in excellent condition for decades; while some may show a faint layer of oxidation, there is never any sign of corrosion.

　　If a gear tooth is broken, the restoration requires manually filing a new tooth to the exact dimensions and then 'riveting' and welding it into place with perfect precision. Wang Jin explains, 'Making a new gear is nothing, but then it ceases to be a cultural relic.' Furthermore, the natural wear of the gears cannot be replicated by modern technology; it must be compared and corrected by the naked eye, 'otherwise, if you try it, they certainly won't mesh.'

　　If a gear has 60 teeth broken out of 20, adhering to the principle of minimal intervention, they will not replace the entire wheel but will instead do their best to repair the teeth. 'Small teeth less than 1 millimetres high can only be repaired using a magnifying glass and the naked eye.' Wang Jin's eyesight had always been 1.5, but this year's medical check-up suddenly showed it had changed to 0.8, 'This is natural ageing, there is nothing to be done about it.'

　　Small studio team remains confident in the legacy

　　Wang Jin told reporters that the Forbidden City currently houses around 1500 Western clocks, of which he has personally restored over 300, while 1000 have been worked on by several generations of restorers, and approximately 300 to 500 remain untouched in storage. The remaining unrestored antique clocks are more severely damaged, and the restoration period will become increasingly long. 'I don't think Xiao Qi's generation will be able to finish them all.' Furthermore, as clock collections become better preserved and exhibition schedules more intensive, maintenance-focused restoration may become the future priority, all of which requires the injection of fresh blood.

　　'In 2005, there was a child who wanted to join the clock room, but they didn't end up coming. I was young then and felt that there would always be people who truly loved this trade in the future.' Wang Jin said that over the years, many people have shown interest in this job, 'Some children would call to consult me, and the first thing they asked was about the salary or if housing was provided. Many practical factors influence people's choices.'

　　Today, there are still only he and his apprentice, Xiao Qi, in the clock restoration room. However, Master Wang is quite confident about the future of the craft. 'Although there are only two people on the studio's payroll right now, we are still looking to develop.'

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