Institutesharesitsknowledgewiththeworldasitrestoresandconservesoldliteratureusingcross-disciplinaryresearchandtechnology,ZhangKunreports.
ThefirstinstituteinChinadedicatedtotheconservationandpreservationofancientChinesebookscelebratedits10thanniversaryrecentlyinShanghai.Expertsinthisfieldofworklooktomoreinternationalcollaborationsandexperiencestocontinuepreservingthesebooks.
ChiefLibrarianofFudanUniversityandProfessorChenSiheproposedtheinstitute'sfoundingin2014.
Through10yearsofdevelopment,theInstituteforPreservationandConservationofChineseAncientBooksattheShanghai-basedFudanUniversityhasconductedcross-disciplinarystudiesontraditionalChinesepaper,inkandpigments,revivingtherenownedKaihuapaper,ahandmadematerialknownforitsuniquepeachyspotsandendurance.
"Weextendedourstudiestoancientpalmleafmanuscripts,birchbarkscrollsandmicroorganismsonancientbooks,"saysYangYuliang,headoftheinstitutewhoistheformerpresidentofFudanUniversityandanacademicianoftheChineseAcademyofSciences.
The72-year-oldisaleadingscientistinpolymerphysics."BeforeIbeganworkinginthefieldofancientbookprotection,Ithoughtitwasnotasmuchfunascutting-edgetechnologicalprojectslikenanoscience,"Yangsaysatthe10th-anniversarycelebrationfortheinstituteonNov22."ButonceIdiveddeepintoit,Ifoundinfinitefunandenjoyment."
Theconservationofartifactsonpaperhasbeenoneofthebiggestchallengesbecause,similartothecrystallizationofcivilizationsandcollectivememoriesofallhumanbeings,theyareimportantbutextremelyfragileandlikelytodisappear,Yangsays.