Reviving Old Texts

古籍修復

Whenever Song Jing visits a museum， she makes a point of checking out the section on ancient books. In addition to appreciating the wisdom hidden in these historical volumes， she also focuses on how they are bound and presented.

“Its more like a force of habit caused by my job，” said Song. This 35-year-old “book doctor” has been working in the restoration division for ancient books at the National Library of China in Beijing for nine years.

Song made her way to the ancient books division after finishing her cultural relic protection studies course at Peking University in 2015. She has since been engaged in restoring more than 100 ancient cultural relics. In 2023， Song and her colleagues were busy working on restoring a copy of Yongle Dadian， an encyclopedia created in 1408 that was commissioned by Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty （1368—1644）.

After receiving the challenge at the beginning of 2022， it took Song and her colleagues six months to research and decide on how to restore the books. “Most books from Yongle Dadian that have survived until today have suffered damage to their original binding，” Song said.

每當宋晶參觀博物館時，她都會特意去查看有關古籍的部分。除了欣賞這些歷史卷軸中隱藏的智慧，她還關注古籍的裝幀和陳列方式。

“這是工作帶給我的習慣。”宋晶說。這位35歲的“古籍醫生”在北京的中國國家圖書館的古籍修復部門工作已有九年。

2015年，宋晶在北京大學完成文物保護專業學習后，來到了古籍部門。此后，她參與了100多件古代文物的修復工作。2023年，宋晶和她的同事們忙于修復《永樂大典》的一個副本，這是一部創作于1408年、由明朝（1368—1644）明成祖下令編纂的百科全書。

在2022年年初接受這個挑戰后，宋晶和同事們用了六個月的時間來研究和決定怎樣去修復這些古籍。“《永樂大典》中保留至今的大部分書籍，其原始裝幀都已損壞。”宋晶說。

“To restore them to their original form， we need to gather information from various sources， such as images and texts， before we can make sure of their original binding style and repair them accordingly，” she explained. Moreover， the ancient encyclopedias silk texture and color have both grown inconsistent， which makes creating the necessary raw materials and matching the color difficult.

In the past， restorers had to rely on their experience to determine the appropriate materials to use for a project. As technology has evolved， they are able to use a new method to finish the task through microscopes. However， technology can only help so much， as ancient-book restoration still requires essential manual skills， including cutting and brushing paper and binding.

Apart from this， the restoration also requires strong control when brushing the paper. “If the pressure is not properly controlled during the brushing process， the paper may tear， but if the touch is too light， the paper wont adhere，” Song explained.

Owing to the meaningful and complex process， the ancient books restoration technique of the national library was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

“Hopefully， I can be of some help in inspiring more young people to find their lifelong passion in the field of cultural heritage preservation，” said Song.

“為了把它們恢復成原始模樣，我們需要從圖像和文本等各種來源搜集信息，然后才能確定它們的原始裝訂風格并進行相應的修復。”她解釋道。此外，這部古代百科全書的絲綢質地和顏色都變得與以前不一致，這讓制作必要的原材料和匹配顏色變得困難。

在以前，修復員必須憑借經驗來確定一個項目使用的合適材料。隨著技術的發展，他們現在能夠通過顯微鏡用一種新的方法完成任務。但是，技術只能提供有限的幫助，因為古籍修復仍然需要基本的手工技巧，包括剪裁、刷紙和裝訂。

除此之外，修復員在刷紙時需要有很強的控制能力。“如果在刷紙的過程中太過用力，紙張可能會撕裂，但如果過于輕柔，紙張又無法黏合。”宋晶解釋道。

由于其深遠的意義以及復雜的修復過程，國家圖書館的古籍修復技術于2008年被列入國家級非物質文化遺產。

“我希望盡我所能鼓勵更多年輕人在文化遺產保護領域找到一生所愛。”宋晶說道。

Word Bank

colleague /'k?li?ɡ/ n. 同事；同僚

commission /k?'m??n/ v. 正式委托（譜寫或制作、創作、完成）

Publishers have commissioned a French translation of the book.

tear /te?（r）/ v. 撕裂；撕碎

He tore the letter in two.

adhere /?d'h??（r）/ v. 黏附；附著