Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Conservation Professionals

How to become an Objects Conservator

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 可移动文物保护专业人员

Assesses the condition of movable cultural relics, studies their materials, making techniques and causes of damage, researches conservation materials and techniques, monitors relics and their environment, and designs conservation plans.

Main tasks

Assessing the condition and deterioration of relics and researching the causes
Capturing digital images of relics
Researching relics' materials, structure, making materials, techniques and value
Monitoring and assessing relics and their environment and researching and applying control techniques
Researching and applying conservation materials and techniques
Writing conservation treatment plans and guiding the work to plan
Evaluating treatment results and keeping up monitoring

Ways in

University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 102 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): History (0601); majors such as Cultural Relics Conservation Technology, History, World History, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage and Museology, Foreign Languages and Foreign History. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
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.; 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¥83,000 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥58,000 to CN¥131,000. One in ten earn less than CN¥43,200 and one in ten more than CN¥205,800.
This is the figure for the mid group News, Publishing and Cultural Professionals, 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¥112,069 a year (2025), middle half CN¥78,750 to CN¥156,000.
This is the figure for the mid group News, Publishing and Cultural Professionals, 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 News, Publishing and Cultural Professionals holds 0.17% of everyone employed in China; 61.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
53.1% are under 35, 42.4% are 35 to 54 and 4.5% 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.

Questions people ask

How do I become an Objects Conservator?

Ways in include: Arts & Humanities degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Cultural Relics Restoration and Conservation (550404); Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Cultural Relics Restoration and Conservation (350401).

How much does an Objects Conservator earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥83,000 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 News, Publishing and Cultural Professionals. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥112,069 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of an Objects 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