Ancient artifacts rarely stand the test of time. Over the centuries, many have been reduced to fragments. Chipped, broken or smashed, their shards provide a challenge to restorers who, like detectives, have to piece together the evidence of their former glory.

Carrying out seamless repairs to ceramics, pottery or wooden artifacts from the ancient world requires superb craftsmanship, a sure and delicate touch, and abundant patience.

Being a cultural restorer is time-consuming and requires demanding precision. For such a task, Tang Jie, 26, seems young but has been doing the painstaking work since she was a teenager.

Her love for cultural relics was influenced by her grandfather, a fervent antique collector, who used to take her, as a child, to antique shops and flea markets to hunt out curios.