You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
Researchers from east China's Anhui Province have created a sensor that they hope museums can use to detect atmospheric changes that may harm valuable exhibits.
The sensor can monitor temperature, humidity, lighting and dust levels and send data to a control center, which can adjust these factors and prevent damage.
The research team from Hefei University of Technology also provided display casing with special glass and protective materials to shield artifacts from harmful light.
The temperature, humidity and lighting that artifacts are exposed to in museums can change with time. Without timely protection, these sensitive items can corrode.
Unlike in more developed countries, many Chinese museums haven't installed smart sensors.
An official survey showed that more than 50 percent of artifacts in museums or institutions in China have been corroded to varying degrees. More than two million items have been moderately or seriously corroded.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
An exhibition room displaying the carpentry techniques of extraordinary ancient Chinese carpenter, engineer and inventor Lu Ban has opened to the public free of charge as part of celebration activities marking the tenth anniversary of Macao's historical center being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The small museum, covering an area of 172 square meters, was jointly conceived by Macao's Cultural Affairs Bureau and the city's Carpentry Trade Union to promote the recognition of Lu Ban's contributions, as well as preserve traditional handicraft techniques and enrich Macao's cultural and touristic resources.
More than 80 traditional wooden tools are on display in the exhibition hall, including saws, planes, drills and ink markers. There are information boards with Lu Ban's story and inventions, as well as videos showing methods of using carpentry tools, components of buildings constructed according to the "mortise-and-tenon" structure, and tools available for visitors to handle.
A carpenter surnamed Huang, who has been doing woodworking for more than 50 years, said that one piece of woodwork requires a day of carpentry labor by hand, but only takes two hours through mass production. However, traditional handmade wooden crafts display fine workmanship.
He also wished that more Macao youth could become involved in spreading and development of classical carpentry skills.