Ancient books are a cultural treasure house of past civilizations. But sometimes it takes the deft and loving hands of a restorer to save these revered texts from the ravages of time and to pass them on intact to future generations.
They have survived war, fire, time, and even the bites of bookworms. This is the ancient-books protection center of Yunnan Province and includes more than 120 titles recorded in China's national list of treasured ancient books. They include the country's earliest printed and handwritten books, as well as Buddhist scripts dating back a thousand years to the ancient kingdom of Dali. Without the work of restorers, however, many would disintegrate into the dust of Time.
Yang Liqun is an exemplar in this work requiring meticulous care, patience, and skill. For a severely damaged book, the task of repairing even a single page can not be accomplished in one day. And one clumsy move could end up causing more damage.
"I'm happy to do things that I'm good at. I enjoy the process of combining my experience with newly learned skills. The greater the challenge ahead of me, the happier I feel when I finish the task," Yang said.
Yang learned his skills from his parents, and for the past four decades has trained nearly three hundred disciples. Even so, few are still practising the trade. Yang says there are only six others here at the center to share the task of restoration, far fewer than needed.
Yang's trade is not a familiar one to most people. But unsung heroes like him are quietly serving future generations with an unbroken cultural legacy. What's required now is to rally more people to the cause.