How to become a Conservator
Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 文物修复师
Also called: Mural and Painted Sculpture Conservator, Textile Conservator, Mixed Materials Conservator, Paper, Painting and Calligraphy Conservator, Woodwork Conservator, Stonework Conservator, Lacquer Conservator, Painted Decoration Conservator, Masonry and Tiling Conservator, Clock Conservator
Investigates the condition of cultural relics, judges their value and state of preservation, and cares for and restores them by strengthening, cleaning, joining, filling and colour matching.
Main tasks
- Collecting basic information on relics and investigating and assessing damage and storage conditions
- Analysing the materials and making methods of relics and judging their value
- Running laboratory and on site tests and drawing up conservation plans
- Cleaning relic surfaces by physical, chemical, biological and mechanical methods, consolidating relics, and removing salts, water and stains
- Disinfecting, unrolling, flattening and filling organic relics and colour matching repair materials
- Joining, filling, sealing and colour matching the surfaces of inorganic relics
- Strengthening damaged parts of old buildings and taking apart, refitting, relaying tiles and floors, rebuilding, reattaching and repainting
- Keeping photos, drawings and notes from the work and writing conservation records and reports
Ways in
- Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Cultural Relics Restoration and Conservation (550404). Vocational major 550404 Cultural Relics Restoration and Conservation (文物修复与保护), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Cultural Heritage Conservation Engineering Qualification.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Grotto Temple Conservation Technology (550408). Vocational major 550408 Grotto Temple Conservation Technology (石窟寺保护技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Cultural Heritage Conservation Engineering Qualification.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Cultural Relics Restoration and Conservation (350401). Vocational major 350401 Cultural Relics Restoration and Conservation (文物修复与保护), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Cultural Heritage Conservation Engineering Qualification.
Pay · AI and this job
- Median pay in China: CN¥67,800 a year (2025).
- Middle half: CN¥48,400 to CN¥100,900. One in ten earn less than CN¥36,000 and one in ten more than CN¥158,900.
- This is the figure for the mid group Cultural and Educational Services Workers, not for this job alone.
- National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
- Guangzhou only: median CN¥83,361 a year (2025), middle half CN¥60,626 to CN¥111,228.
- This is the figure for the mid group Cultural and Educational Services Workers, not for this job alone.
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- The census group Cultural and Educational Services Workers holds 0.22% of everyone employed in China; 47.4% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
- 60.9% are under 35, 32.8% are 35 to 54 and 6.3% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 30 to 34.
- Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Conservator?
Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Cultural Relics Restoration and Conservation (550404); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Grotto Temple Conservation Technology (550408).
How much does a Conservator earn in China?
Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥67,800 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Cultural and Educational Services Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥83,361 a year (2025).
Will AI change the work of a Conservator?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
- Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.
Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.
Updated 5 October 2026