Abstract:Miaozi was a technique for polychrome decoration in official-style Qing architecture, which is now lost. According to literature, miaozi was used at Wenyuange, the renowned imperial library in Beijing, with the polychrome decoration dating from the mid- to late-Qing dynasty. A survey on site confirms that there are still traces of the use of this technique. Based on the study of historical documents and the site investigation results, using scientific archaeological methods such as cross-section microscopy and polarized light microscopy analysis, this article identifies the operating characteristics and materials used for the miaozi at Wenyuange, and reconstructs the historical technique through experiment and simulation.
