China News Service, Nanjing, October 6. Title: Nanjing University Library: Collections protect cultural context for thousands of years, ancient books are restored and passed on
China News Service reporter Xu Shanshan
Pushing open the door of the ancient book library of the Nanjing University Xianlin Campus Library, nearly 400,000 thread-bound ancient books lie quietly on the shelves in a space of nearly 2,000 square meters. The earliest Song Dynasty blockbuster is nearly a thousand years old.
Most of these precious documents experienced the "Cultural Long March" during the war of resistance against Japan. In 1937, the Institute of Chinese Culture at Jinling University (one of the sources of Nanjing University) urgently entrusted 95 boxes and more than 10,000 rare ancient books to Mr. Wu Lianyun in Wuyuan, Jiangxi.
Li Dan, director of the Ancient Books Special Collections Department of Nanjing University Library, said that what touched her most was that when these books returned in 1947, not only were they not missing, but there were even more. "Teachers and students continued to salvage documents scattered in the war during their escape, and picked up fragments of civilization piece by piece."
In 2024, students from Nanjing University participated in an experience course in ancient book restoration. (Information photo) Photo by Yang Yijun
This period of history is being understood by more and more young people through lectures, short films and the "Book Exile" retreading activity. At the same time, the NTU Library has also brought classics closer to young students by offering experience classes, holding exhibitions, etc. Students enrolling in the courses cover chemistry, biology, artificial intelligence, computer and other majors, far exceeding initial expectations. "The destiny of culture is connected with the destiny of the country, and the cultural context is connected with the national context. Let young people know what each ancient book has experienced, and they will truly understand the weight of 'protection'." Li Dan said.
Li Hui, a doctoral student majoring in Chinese Classical Philology at the School of Liberal Arts of Nanjing University, talked about her feelings when she first started repairing the simulation teaching aids: "When I got the crumpled book, I felt very unsure. It was hard to imagine that I had to face such a complicated situation for the first time. But I followed the teacher step by step and finally flattened all the repaired book leaves, folded them in half, and bound them. The moment I had a very strong sense of accomplishment."
After finishing the class, Li Hui had a deeper understanding of the protection of ancient books. She said that the restoration of ancient books emphasizes "restoration as before", "minimal intervention" and "reversible process". It not only repairs the damage, but also preserves the passage of time it has experienced and retains all the information it has as a historical witness.
In November 2024, at the Nanjing University Library’s ancient book restoration experience class, students used the wet peeling method to remove book leaves. (Information photo) Photo by Yang Yijun
Interdisciplinary collisions also bring new perspectives to traditional restoration. Chen Jing, an ancient book restorer in the Special Collections Department of Ancient Books at Nanjing University Library, said that students majoring in chemistry are concerned about the aging of paper fibers and the potential side effects of traditional repair materials. Students majoring in artificial intelligence are thinking about digital image segmentation, virtual completion of missing text, and even predicting paper deterioration trends through machine learning. "In the past, I might only know how to repair the repairs to achieve good results. Now they will ask, 'Why will this method be effective, will there be any hidden dangers, and can it be quantitatively evaluated.'" In recent years, the Nanjing University Library has cooperated with the polymer professional team of the School of Chemistry to carry out experiments related to the restoration of ancient books.
"What is most needed in the restoration of ancient books is awe and patience." Chen Jing said, "Every piece of paper is precious, and every small fragment and detail needs to be kept intact. This is a tedious and repetitive work, and the results will not be seen in a short time. Therefore, you must not be impatient, and you can control the proportion of each step."
"The number of ancient books that a restorer can restore in his lifetime is limited. But if we can make more young people from different majors realize the value of ancient books and be willing to participate in their own way, then the power of ancient book protection will be endless. This is not addition, but multiplication." Li Dan said. (over)
