Behind the restoration of "Tianlu Linliang": what is repaired is ancient books, and what is cultivated is the nature of the mind
2022-01-23 17:31
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Yan Tong visual record
The Restoration Project of the National Library of China's Qing Palace "Tianlu Linlang" was recently completed. After 8 years, more than 300 damaged ancient books have successfully "continued to live" with the help of scientific and technological means, and the restoration of ancient books has once again entered the public eye.
"To repair an ancient book, you must first open the pages, after the restoration is completed, spray the pages with water, then flatten them with heavy objects, and then fold the leaves, cut and flatten again before they can be bound into a book." Cui Zhibin, a post-80s ancient book restorer who graduated from capital normal university with a master's degree in art history, participated in some calligraphy and painting restoration work in the Capital Museum when he was in school, and became interested in this industry.
In 2013, she entered the Ancient Books Library of the National Library of China to engage in document protection and restoration work, participated in the special restoration project of "Tianlu Linlang" in the Qing Palace, and participated in some auxiliary work. In 2015, Cui Zhibin officially visited Zhu Zhenbin, an expert in the restoration of ancient books in the group, a national technical expert, and the chief expert of the Tianlu Linlang Restoration Project, as a teacher, and has been doing Tianlu Linlang restoration since then.
Teacher Zhu Zhenbin commented on the "Book of Han", a book in the "Tianlu Linlang" collection that the students had just restored.
This is a very valuable learning opportunity, but learning is not an easy task. The "Danyuan Collection" in "Tianlu Linliang" looks like a seriously adhered "book brick" before restoration, and the restoration process is quite complicated, and each step of operation is like walking on thin ice. During this period, from easy to difficult, from learning to select repair paper, reprocessing of repair paper to gradually repairing those broken books, restoring ancient books, cultivating mental and professional qualities.
Restorers Song Hui, Hou Yuran, and Hu Bo are discussing the color matching method for supplementing the paper of a Dunhuang suicide note.
The same as the cultural relics restoration work filmed in the film "I Repair Cultural Relics in the Forbidden City", the restoration of ancient books involves multiple disciplines, and in addition to superb restoration techniques, conservators also need to master certain knowledge of physics, chemistry, printing, papermaking, etc., in order to be handy in the rescue and restoration of ancient books. The national library's team of ancient books restoration has many young people from different disciplines. In addition to those who majored in the restoration of ancient books, there are also those who study chemical materials, art history, and cultural relics protection. Someone can do paper fiber composition testing, and someone can make paper in the lab by themselves.
Wang Xinrui, the youngest post-95 young employee in the group, is dyeing a set of ancient books and clothes with paper.
In June 2008, the National Library of China's "Techniques of Mounting and Restoration of Ancient Books" was officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a national intangible cultural heritage. On June 10, 2021, the "Traditional Book Binding Technique" was officially announced by the State Council as the "Fifth Batch of Representative Projects of National Intangible Cultural Heritage". The "Dunhuang Testament Restoration Technique" was also officially announced by the Beijing Municipal People's Government on September 29, 2021 as "the fifth batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage representative projects in Beijing".
The National Library of China released the major achievements of the qing palace collection "Tianlu Linlang" ancient book restoration project.
The restoration of documents of the National Library of China has made relatively brilliant achievements in history, and the precious documents of the national treasure level that have been restored include the "Zhao Cheng Golden Collection", "Yongle Canon", the Western Xia Literature, some Dunhuang Testaments and Song and Yuan Rare Books, and the "Tianlu Linlang" Rare Books of the National Map Collection. It can be said that it is precisely with the unremitting efforts of the restoration workers of the ancient books of the national map that the original style of the national treasures has been re-displayed in front of the world. At present, the restoration work being carried out by the restoration team includes: the restoration of precious ancient books in the collection, the restoration of Dunhuang testaments, the restoration of Western Xia documents, the restoration of public opinion maps, and the restoration of rubbings.
Repair ancient books can not wear gloves. Only when the hand touches the book, it is known how hard the fingertips are used, and it is hundreds of years to turn a page.
However, in the reading room of ancient books in the National Library, some readers of ancient books display the status as "to be repaired" when they inquire. Some readers complained, but there are many books to be restored, few people to repair books, although the conservators have done their best, but some ancient books can only wait for the restoration to be completed before reading.
However, with the passage of time, due to the erosion of wind and rain and the destruction of the embers of war, many of the collections have become dim and unrecognizable. Therefore, it is a difficult and arduous task for the collection units of ancient books to save these national treasures that are on the verge of destruction, to scientifically restore and protect them, to maximize the life of ancient books, and to properly use them, to give full play to their own value, and to develop the resources of this cultural treasure house.
Needle cones, brushes, brown brushes... The Literature Restoration Team has developed a customized set of "Portable Toolkit for Ancient Book Restoration", which is equipped with 22 commonly used essential tools