On August 4, the National Library of China hosted an exhibition on the restored copies of Tianlu Linlang, a collection of rare ancient books from the imperial palaces of the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1279-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, first compiled by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in 1744.

Tianlu was the name of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) royal library—considered China's earliest national library—and linlang is a term the ancient Chinese used to refer to valuable books.

The exhibition displayed 85 items that were once deemed virtually destroyed, from pages riddled with bookworm damage to mold and mildew infection. Thanks to the expertise of professional book restorers, this nearly lost library of literary treasures was saved. The materials and tools used for restoration, too, were part of the showcase.

The National Library first launched its restoration program in 2013, and has repaired over 300 ancient books since. 

(Text and photos by Wei Yao)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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