Young repairer hones skills to give new life to ancient books

Hu Bo is head of the ancient book restoration department of the National Library of China, Beijing. Born in 1981, he has participated in nearly 300 restoration projects.

"The restoration of ancient books involves techniques in various fields, including fine arts, publishing, chemistry, plant sciences, microbiology, papermaking and textiles, so there is a lot to learn," said Hu.

Photo taken on Aug. 3, 2022 shows a restored ancient book displayed at the preview of an exhibition about the achievements in the restoration of ancient books at the National Museum of Classic Books in Beijing. (Photo/Xinhua)

As a newbie, Hu was the youngest in his department. "The experienced repairers carefully instructed me, and the team that I was on invited experts in the industry to teach me restoration techniques. I was also sent to receive advanced training organized by the National Ancient Book Protection Center. Thanks to these efforts, I managed to greatly improve my professional skills and research capabilities," Hu recalled.

In 2010, when he was around 30 years old, Hu was appointed deputy head of the ancient book restoration department of the National Library of China. While performing administrative duties, Hu also made painstaking efforts to improve his professional skills by continually learning and practicing.

A staff member introduces ancient books exhibited at the preview of an exhibition about the achievements in the restoration of ancient books at the National Museum of Classic Books in Beijing on Aug. 3, 2022. (Photo/Xinhua)

After years of development, the National Library of China has turned into a professional organization engaged in ancient book restoration, inheritance of restoration skills, training, and scientific research and development. According to Hu, the cultivation of young repairers is a major focus of the National Library of China.

In recent years, new crafts and technologies have been developing rapidly, making it possible for repairers to use robots and artificial intelligence to facilitate restoration of ancient books.

Since 2020, Hu has contacted the relevant research institutes under the Chinese Academy of Sciences to try to build a partnership with them on R&D of robots for book repair purposes.

Visitors watch the preview of an exhibition about the achievements in the restoration of ancient books at the National Museum of Classic Books in Beijing on Aug. 3, 2022. (Photo/Xinhua)