Culture&Life | Restorers bring broken old books "back to life" in NE China's Jilin

CHANGCHUN, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Jilin University in northeast China's Jilin Province boasts a collection of nearly 400,000 ancient books in its library. According to Zhang Qi, a restorer of ancient books in the library of Jilin University, the school has been carrying out the restoration work of ancient books since the 1950s, which has never been interrupted for decades. Generations of ancient book restorers have brought countless broken old books "back to life" with their skillful hands and ingenuity.

The restoration process of ancient books is meticulous and complicated. The time required to restore an ancient book can range from a few days to several months. In the process of repairing books, restorers will formulate different plans for different occasions, so that the old books would regain their original appearances.

In Zhang Qi's view, the restoration of ancient books is a skill to remember. "It is our responsibility to restore the original appearance of the books to the greatest extent so that they can be preserved and passed on for a longer period of time," Zhang Qi said.