Master of ancient book restoration passes on craftsmanship to save cultural relics
CGTN
1527224666000
Yan Jingshu, a 55-year-old master of ancient book restoration, has dedicated the past 38 years of her life to yellowed paper, saving countless volumes of historical records and literary works from perishing at Zhejiang Library in Hangzhou City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. /Xinhua Photo
Yan started her career in ancient book restoration as an apprentice after graduating from high school, learning how to fix broken leaves, create book covers, sew in stitch bindings and protect the books from insect bites and natural erosion. /Xinhua Photo
The job requires precision, patience and most importantly, love for books. Yan compares working with books to treating patients. As books arrive at the library in different conditions, Yan and her colleagues are challenged to find accurate treatments for every book accordingly. “And you must be careful at every attempt,” Yan said. /Xinhua Photo
Yan’s first name, Jingshu, consists of two Chinese characters that translate into “tranquility” and “book”. “My name probably means I should work in silence fixing more books so that more people can find peace in reading,” Yan said. /Xinhua Photo
The veteran book restoration master is now working to pass on the craftsmanship to her apprentices. /Xinhua Photo