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Museum Taxidermist Guided by Respect

When you enter the big front gate of the Beijing Museum of Natural History, and if you’re not in a big hurry to visit the museum, you may notice several workshop-like buildings on the museum’s west side. Giving in to the distraction, you may wonder what kind of world you are being drawn into. A peek into one of the dimly lit buildings reveals a big dinosaur-head sculpture, an old gate and even some odd animal horns and antlers.

In fact, you will have entered the world of taxidermist Liu Zijing by way of the studio where he has worked for more than 30 years, making specimens for display in the Beijing Museum of Natural History. Here you will see a big table in the middle of the room littered with unfinished specimens: big horns of antelope and yak, specimens of gibbons and birds. An antlered deer’s head juts out from the wall, juxtaposed with a huge picture of Leonardo da Vinci and his Mona Lisa hanging on a wall beyond the table. Big iron-chain slings hang from the ceiling.

“We used these three iron-chain slings to hoist the skin of a giant elephant to make a specimen,” Liu said.

Liu, born in 1955, joined the Beijing Museum of Natural History as an interpreter at age 16. In 1975, he was assigned to work in the taxidermy studio, where he has worked for 30 years, perfecting his skills. He is now the only skilled taxidermist on the museum’s staff.

“My masters taught me a lot about specimen-making, but now they’ve all retired. I seldom meet them…,” he said with an evident sense of regret. And even when he does, Liu said he can hardly find an appropriate moment to express his appreciation and thankfulness for their presence in his life.

“Aside from getting good animal specimens to work with, the contributions of my mentors to my progress in making specimens were most important.”

He spoke of his early years in his craft, a time when animal resources in China were more plentiful than they are today. Then, animal researchers could hunt animals with few limits. Liu often headed to South China's Guangxi Province and northeast to Jilin Province to hunt animals. In Guangxi's primeval forest, he observed rare ring-tailed lemurs, fist-big figs and other strange plants and animals. In Jilin's snow-capped mountains, there was no convenient transportation; even worse, the food was also limited throughout the nation. The researcher-hunters carried dried, steamed bread on their excursions, relying on coarse food for weeks as they searched for animals.

Liu, who no longer hunts, said, “Life was tough, but it was the most wonderful time in my life.”

The National Forest Department long ago began tightening limits on wild animal hunting, especially in areas containing endangered species. Although the National Forest Department has authorized some researchers to hunt specific wild animals, Liu said his museum now relies on dead animals from zoos or the non-wild animal breeding market for specimens.

“Another reason I don’t hunt is because of people. People are everywhere, even in the mountains. Even if I had a gun and got approval, I wouldn’t dare fire a shot.”

Recognizing the presence of his only student, Liu said that for these reasons, among others, “young taxidermists will get fewer chances to make specimens; they will never have a chance to see some species.”

Regardless of the source of his specimens, Liu said his philosophy has never changed: “Taxidermy is like carving a piece of jade from stone; it is a process of artistic creation. People should respect dead animals.”

Just prior to our interview, Liu had just finished creating an elephant specimen for the Shanghai Zoo. Earlier, a racehorse was transported from Hong Kong to the Beijing Museum of Natural History; Liu spent half a year preparing the specimen. An antelope brought to him was partially destroyed; Liu recreated the missing parts and replaced its missing hair.

His work is not without danger: some of the dead animals may carry dangerous diseases, especially in their blood and dung, which are smelly and disgusting in any case.

“Sometimes, when I got on the bus, people give me a wide berth because of the stench, especially young men,” Liu said.

Because of the negative aspects of the work, it’s hard to get new students to take up the craft of taxidermy. For this reason, the future of taxidermy in China is threatened.