Building the foundations of excellence

"They thus serve as irreplaceable original architectural records that complement physical structures and other documents," she says.

Second, the Yangshi Lei archives are vivid, large-scale products of actual design and construction, representing traditional Chinese architectural manuscript materials, and provide important evidence of the history of ancient Chinese architecture and contribute to the world's architecture history, Bai adds.

Additionally, the archives also turn up family letters that record the daily work and life of ancient craftsmen, which Bai says reflect not only objective figures, events and facts, but also the sentiments of individuals.

The Lei family letters are unique historical materials entirely written by the craftsmen themselves, Bai says.

"By interpreting the content of these letters, one can uncover the simple yet precious spirit of ancient Chinese craftsmen," she adds.

Currently, the conservation and restoration of cultural relics in China is at a premium, and there are still many ways in which the archives can play a role, experts concurred at the seminar.

They can be used not only for the preservation and restoration of historical architectural relics but can also play a greater role in the development of cultural and creative products and in the promotion of culture and tourism.