Part of the restored "Tianlu Linlang" collection. Photo by reporter Hong Xing. An investigation by the National Library of Ancient Books found that about 10%, or more than 300 volumes, of the more than 270 "Tianlu Linlang" ancient books in the collection, which contains more than

The partially restored "Tianlu Linlang" book collection. Photo by reporter Hong Xing

A survey by the National Library of Ancient Books found that about 10%, or more than 300 volumes, of the more than 270 "Tianlu Linlang" ancient books in the collection, which contains more than 3,500 volumes, have serious paper decay, Problems such as flocculation, adhesion, and binding disintegration are first-level damage and require urgent rescue repairs.

html On November 7, the National Library announced that the restoration project of "Tianlu Linlang" in the Qing Palace collection was a complete success and has been officially completed. All ancient books involved in the

project have been restored.

Zhu Zhenbin, a senior restorer of the Ancient Books Department of the National Library, said that in the current warehouse with constant temperature and humidity, it is not a problem for "Tianlu Linlang" to extend its life for another 200 years.

html How did they repair "Tianlu Linlang" in 18 years?

One-tenth of the temple needs rescue repairs

"Tianlu Linlang" is an important monument created by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty who selected old books from the Song, Jin, Yuan and Ming editions in the palace collections and placed the best in Zhaoren Hall. Collection of books.

Although it was treasured by the Qing Palace, the fate of "Tianlu Linlang" was bumpy. During this period, fires, thefts, soldiers, and beetles resulted in the loss of a large number of books in the collection. Nearly 60 of the 664 volumes have disappeared. The remaining 600 volumes are mainly stored in mainland my country and Taiwan.

The National Library has 279 volumes of "Tianlu Linlang" in its collection, among which the Song and Yuan engravings account for the largest proportion. However, the proportion of damage is relatively high, accounting for more than half. The remaining copies affect cataloging and are not conducive to reading and research; if not repaired in time, the damage will only worsen and affect preservation. Although the rare book warehouse already has constant temperature and humidity conditions, if the mold carried in the damaged books and paper diseases such as flocculation and adhesion are not dealt with, the diseases will only become more serious as time goes by.

In 2013, a survey by the Ancient Books Department of the National Library found that about 10% of the more than 3,500 ancient books in the collection of more than 270, or more than 300 volumes, had serious problems such as paper decay, flocculation, adhesion, and binding disintegration. They were first-level damaged and were in urgent need of rescue. sex repair.

On August 27, 2013, the National Center for the Preservation of Ancient Books organized a kick-off meeting for the restoration project of the "Tianlu Linlang" in the Qing Palace in the National Library. This is the largest special restoration operation for precious ancient books on the national map since the implementation of the "Chinese Ancient Books Protection Plan".

Chen Hongyan, deputy director of the National Museum of Ancient Books, revealed that the initial estimated restoration time was 4 to 5 years, but it ultimately took 8 years. This is because the restoration is more difficult than expected, and also because ensuring the safety and restoration quality of ancient books is always the top priority for restorers.

Each book has an independent restoration plan.

The "Tianlu Linlang" collection of books spans a wide age range, has complex damage conditions, and requires a variety of materials for restoration.

Cui Zhibin, a young restorer of the National Library of Ancient Books, told a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that damage problems such as acidification, aging, mildew, adhesion, insect infestation, rodent bites, flocculation, tears, defects, burns, and broken wires are among the problems faced by "Tianlu" Linlang" collection of books are distributed to varying degrees.

The major categories of repair paper include bamboo paper, leather paper, mixed paper, rice paper, straw paper, chemical fiber paper (liner paper), etc., and these papers are also divided into different thicknesses, colors, curtain patterns... Silk fabrics used for repair also include silk, damask, brocade, tussah, silk thread, etc.

It is precisely because the materials of book collections and their damage problems are so diverse that it is impossible to have a unified repair plan. In actual operation, the restoration of each volume of "Tianlu Linlang" is an independent case. There are four overall restoration principles of

: keeping the same as before; rescuing first and treating the disease as a supplement; minimal intervention; and the process is reversible. Although

has guiding principles, it cannot be applied mechanically. It must also uphold the scientific spirit and analyze specific problems in detail.

"Tianlu Linlang" has an important feature - traces of repairs by predecessors can be seen in most of the collections. Should these traces be removed or retained?

For example, the "continuous patching and lining" of the predecessors, should we keep it or not?

"Integrated patching and lining" is expressed by applying paste to all damaged areas at one time, and then taking a prepared lining paper and gluing it directly. This kind of paste is so thick that the paper is prone to shrinking at the slurrying point, and obvious wrinkles often appear on the entire paper surface. Paper coated with thick paste will also cause secondary insect infestation. Ancient books repaired using this method are also easy to read during the process. Breakage occurs.After repeated evaluations, the

team believes that such traces of previous operations are not conducive to the protection of ancient books and need to be rectified.

Because the fundamental purpose of repair is to extend the life of the ancient books themselves.

For another example, although "minimum intervention" must be adhered to, there are also situations where book leaf paper has seriously lost its physical strength and needs urgent rescue; serious adhesion after water immersion and severe acidification cause the paper to become brittle. If deacidification and reinforcement are not carried out in time, the paper will become brittle. The scope of acidification will continue to spread; severe flocculation will also lead to paper deformation, mutual adhesion and even thinness and looseness. If it is not partially or even fully supported, the paper carrying text will continue to deteriorate and degrade.

Cui Zhibin emphasized that these are necessary methods, and all these interventions are reversible.

is repairing and cultivating a team at the same time.

This time, the way of judging ancient book materials has evolved from single empiricism, such as touching with hands and seeing with eyes, to a combination of scientific and technological means and experience.

Chen Hongyan introduced that this restoration work relied on the advanced instruments and equipment of the Key Laboratory of Ancient Books Protection, Science, Technology, Culture and Tourism, and was mainly carried out by young ancient book preservation and restoration staff from the National Library on the original materials, damage conditions and repair materials of the collection. Scientific testing and analysis allow restoration work that used to be based on subjective judgment to be assisted by objective testing credentials.

The "Tianlu Linlang" collection uses a variety of paper products, and the types of damage are also complex. Instrument detection can help restorers more accurately judge various aspects of the ancient books, so as to formulate more precise restoration plans, which greatly improves the objectivity and rationality of the restoration work. sex. "On the basis of inheriting the skills and experience of the older generation, this restoration project also incorporated the scientific concept of document protection in the new era. It not only achieved good restoration results, but also further improved the scientific research level of ancient book restoration in the National Library." Chen Hongyan explain. Since the launch of the

"project, we have completed the restoration work of more than 300 books. The restoration work of each 'Tianlu Linlang' book has gone through the rigorous formulation of plans, scientific selection of restoration materials, detailed records of the restoration process, and Strict review after restoration," Cui Zhibin said.

Chen Hongyan said that this special repair is actually repairing, researching and solving problems at the same time. In the past few years, he has published a number of professional papers discussing ancient book restoration measures. With the support of the National Library of China, a number of scientific research projects have been completed or are being completed, such as research on the standardization of paper selection and matching for document restoration, and research on the dyeing and restoration of ancient porcelain blue paper. , research and imitation of ancient book powder wax paper coats, research on the restoration and weaving of silk for the restoration of ancient books and paintings, research on ancient paper imitation technology, etc., to solve the problem of difficult matching of materials for ancient book restoration in the protection of ancient books.

It is also worth mentioning the talent echelon building role of the "Tianlu Linlang" restoration project.

It is said that it is difficult to cultivate ancient book restoration talents, which Zhu Zhenbin also understands deeply. From getting started to being able to take the lead in repairing rare books, the time it takes can easily be counted as 10 years. "Only when a restorer has passed the level of restoring rare books can his skills reach a higher level," Zhu Zhenbin said.

Cui Zhibin, who participated in the project, was born in 1987. For young restorers, practicing "Tianlu Linlang" is a rare opportunity for rapid growth. The first time she started using it, she was nervous and had "stiff hands". After all, what lay quietly in front of her was a precious ancient book. But under the guidance of the master, young people gradually became the backbone.

Due to historical reasons, there is a gap in the age of the ancient book restoration staff of the National Library, with the age group jumping directly from those born in the 60s to those born in the 80s. However, most of these post-80s generation are master's students with certain theoretical foundation and research capabilities. Under the guidance of experts with more than 35 years of restoration experience, young employees faced the "Tianlu Linlang" book collection with complex and diverse damage conditions, mastered relatively comprehensive skills through actual restoration work, and carried out relevant materials during the project restoration process. , research on processes, equipment, tools, etc.

In September 2018, the National Center for the Preservation of Ancient Books also selected 12 backbones of the ancient book restoration business from Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi and other places who have outstanding performance in front-line positions in ancient book restoration to receive training, compete in skills, and participate in the "Tianlu Linlang" The restoration work has also better promoted the restoration of ancient books across the country.

In December 2021, the Office of the National Center for the Protection of Ancient Books organized an expert acceptance meeting. Experts spoke highly of the results of the "Tianlu Linlang" restoration project. It is believed that it has raised the restoration work of ancient books in the National Library to a new level, and also provided useful experience and information for the scientific and standardized development of large-scale ancient book restoration projects in the future, which is of milestone significance. (Reporter Zhang Galen)

Source: Science and Technology Daily