Celebrating a bookish romance

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A guide at the National Library of China introduces the restoration process for copies of Tianlu Linlang , a royal book collection of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), at an exhibition in Beijing (JIANG DONG / CHINA DAILY)

The seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar, known as Qixi in China, is widely seen as the Chinese counterpart of Valentine’s Day. But ancient Chinese literati had their own romantic story. On this day they would display their book collections and bathe them in sunshine.

Scientifically, this method known as shaishu (drying a book under the sun) would help prevent moisture and bugs and better protect the pages, but it was also seen as a ritual to show off the literati’s taste and knowledge in a tangible way.

On Qixi Day in 2022, which fell on Aug 4, a special shaishu event opened at the National Library of China in Beijing. Though the books are displayed under artificial light instead of the sun, the first public appearance of these precious books may demonstrate not only an individual’s taste, but a country’s determination to prolong cultural lineage.

In the exhibition were 85 restored copies of Tianlu Linlang, a former royal book collection of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Many of these precious editions were once in a terrible state of disrepair. However, thanks to the eight-year effort of a team of restorers, their glamour has returned.

“Through the exhibition, we’d like visitors not only to see the important ancient books, but also understand the techniques used to fix them,” Zhu Zhenbin, a leading restorer of Tianlu Linlang, says.

One copy of the collection exhibited at the National Library of China (JIANG DONG / CHINA DAILY)

Tianlu was the name of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) royal library, considered the earliest national library, and linlang is a term often used to refer to precious books in traditional Chinese culture.

In 1744, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing era, an antique and art enthusiast, ordered scholars to search for and include the finest ancient books, ranging from the Song (960-1279) to Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, which were scattered in studies across the Forbidden City, in this collection. A total of 664 volumes were then categorised.

However, these books suffered fire damage in 1797. Emperor Jiaqing, Qianlong’s son, set about re-establishing the collection within seven months.

After the Qing Dynasty fell, conflict and social upheaval throughout the early 20th century took a toll on the books. Some were lost and some were damaged. When 279 volumes, or 3,500 copies, of Tianlu Linlang, entered the warehouse of the national library, more than half were at least partially damaged, by mould, bugs or just by time.

Led by Zhu, who has about 40 years’ experience fixing ancient books, a comprehensive restoration project to save the fading pages began in 2013. It was finally completed at the end of last year.

“Repair may only be 30 per cent of our daily work,” Zhu says. “The rest of the time is all about how to regain the original appearance of these books. It was really tricky in a restoration project like Tianlu Linlang. The utmost patience and a scrupulous attitude is needed.”

Unlike other sets of ancient books, which used a uniform format and the same materials, Tianlu Linlang was miscellaneous because of the wide time span of the source material. In this collection the pages varied in their composition greatly, and some were even made of silk.

“That situation throws up a huge challenge,” Zhu says. “We have to draft a tailored plan for each copy.”

Restorers use only glue that they make by hand, for fear that the chemicals in factory-made adhesives will further damage the pages. To dye the patched paper to match the yellowing colour of the original pages, various kinds of natural materials, including precious Pu’er black tea, were used.

“However, for such a cultural treasure, all the diligent work was worthwhile,” Zhu says.

Viewing the exhibited books selected from Tianlu Linlang, Zhu feels relieved.

“When handling the broken pages, it’s like we’re preparing a funeral for them. But the consistent work of the restorers has brought about a second life for the books.”