The library of Jilin University, the "National Key Protection Unit for Ancient Books", has a collection of nearly 400,000 ancient books, including more than 6,000 rare books. Zhang Qi, an ancient book restorer at the library of Jilin University, told reporters that the school has been sorting out and restoring ancient books since the 50s of the 20th century, and has never stopped for decades.
The restoration process of ancient books is delicate and complex, including thread removal, paper distribution, hole filling, slipping, pruning, epithelialization, staple, flattening, etc...... The time it takes to restore an ancient book can range from a few days to several months. In the process of repairing books, ancient book restorers will formulate different repair plans for different "diseases", and repair the old as the old.
In Zhang Qi's view, the restoration of ancient books is a "skill" for "memory". "It is our responsibility to restore the original appearance of the book as much as possible, so that it can be preserved and passed on for a longer time. Zhang Qi said.
Wang Lihua, director of the Department of Ancient Books of Jilin University Library, flipped through the classified catalogue in the online book binding library to find ancient books (photo taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Wang Lihua, director of the Department of Ancient Books at Jilin University Library, checks the preservation status of ancient books in the online binder (photo taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Zhang Qi, an ancient book restorer, observes the damage of ancient book pages before restoration (photo taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Ancient book restorer Zhang Hua is working on the restoration of ancient books (photo taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Zhang Qi, an ancient book restorer, observes the restoration of ancient book pages (taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Imposition photo: This is a comparison of some ancient books before and after restoration provided by the library of Jilin University (data photo). Xinhua News Agency
Zhang Hua, an ancient book restorer, "fills holes" on the pages of ancient books (taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Zhang Hua, an ancient book restorer, prepares for the restoration of an ancient book to be restored (photo taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Zhang Qi, an ancient book restorer, sprays water to flatten the pages of an ancient book that has been repaired (photo taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Zhang Hua, an ancient book restorer, observes the damage to the pages of ancient books before restoration (photo taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
Zhang Hua, an ancient book restorer, "fills holes" in the pages of ancient books (taken on April 19). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang