Fahai Temple murals: 'Naked-eye 3D' from 500 years ago chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2026-09-16 14:32

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202609/16/WS6aaa3808e4b06d4aa055e5d4.html Mural painting is where painting began. Chinese murals, with their long and distinguished tradition, unfold like a history of painting written across walls. Alina Efimova, a cultural observer from Russia with a deep interest in Chinese murals, sat down with Dong Zhuo, vice dean of the School of Restoration at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, for a cross-cultural conversation. Amid the vast and dazzling array of Chinese murals, what makes the murals of Fahai Temple so exceptionally refined? Why do netizens describe them as having a "naked-eye 3D" quality? And where does that faint halo of light come from?