On February 14, 2025, Duke Kunshan University (DKU) Library hosted a special workshop “Bringing Ancient Texts to Life: Exploring Book Restoration and Encountering Millennia of History” at the Library Tea House. About 50 attendees participated in the event.
2025年2月14日，昆山杜克大学图书馆在茶室举办了名为“让古籍里的文字活起来 ——探秘古籍修复，邂逅千年时光”的活动。此次活动共吸引了约50名参与者。
The event was co-organized by Kunshan City Library. The two featured guests present were Mr. Yu Zhu, Ancient Book Restorer of Haimen Library in Nantong, Jiangsu, and Mr. Bin Shen, Ancient Book Restorer of Wujiang Library in Suzhou, Jiangsu. They demonstrated their professional knowledge and skills on site, shared traditional stories related to ancient books, and taught specialized knowledge about ancient book restoration.
本活动与昆山市图书馆共同主办，我们有幸邀请到南通市海门图书馆的朱煜老师和苏州市吴江图书馆的沈斌老师两位古籍修复师。他们在现场展示了专业知识和技能，并讲述了有关古籍的传统故事，同时教授了专业的古籍修复知识。
Dr. Helen (Hong) Xu, University Librarian at DKU, warmly welcomed the colleagues from various libraries and paid tribute to the historical and cultural heritage of China. Dr. Xu expressed heartfelt gratitude for the presence of the two experts and encouraged everyone to actively participate and support this event, experiencing the unique charm of Chinese ancient books.
昆山杜克大学图书馆馆长徐鸿博士热烈地欢迎各图书馆同行，向历史悠久的中华文物古迹致敬。徐鸿馆长对两位专家的到来表示衷心感谢，并希望大家能够积极参与、支持本次活动，体验中华古籍的独特魅力。
Mr. Yu Zhu first delivered a presentation about the basic knowledge of Chinese ancient books. Mr. Zhu has been awarded the title of “National Advanced Individual in Ancient Book Protection” by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. He has participated in the Chinese ancient book protection project and has chaired multiple provincial and municipal projects.
朱煜老师首先介绍了中华古籍保护的相关基础知识。朱煜老师被国家文化部授予“全国古籍保护工作先进个人”称号，曾参与过中华古籍保护项目，并主持了多个省市级项目。
Mr. Zhu presented to the attendees the common form of Chinese ancient books, known as “string-binding books,” and introduced the elements of structure such as the book jacket (cover), book fore-edge, bookmark and spine of the book. This provided the students with a deeper understanding of ancient books and highlighted the unique structure and aesthetic appeal of traditional Chinese string-binding books.
朱煜老师向与会者展示了中国古书的常见形式线装书，并介绍了书衣、书首、书签、书背等结构元素，让同学们对古籍有了更深入的了解，突出了中国古代线装书的独特构造与美学魅力。
Mr. Zhu also discussed the history, exquisite craftsmanship, and components of woodblock printing through physical displays and photographic materials.
此外，朱煜老师通过实物展示与图片资料，讲述了雕版印刷的历史沿革、精湛工艺、构成要素。
Regarding the causes of damage to ancient books, Mr. Zhu listed factors such as fire damage and human-caused damage. He presented comparative cases of the status of ancient books before and after restoration and explained the technical challenges encountered during the restoration process.
针对古籍损坏的原因，朱煜老师列举了火烧、人为破坏等因素。在古籍修复环节，他展示了修复前后的对比案例，并讲解了修复过程中的技术难点。
The second guest speaker, Mr. Bin Shen, shared the restoration case study of Jian Nan Shi Gao (《剑南诗稿》). Mr. Shen has rich experiences in ancient book restoration, digitization, and promotion. He has edited and written multiple research publications, and his restoration of Jian Nan Shi Gao received an Excellence Award at the National Ancient Book Restoration Skills Competition.
第二位主讲人沈斌老师分享了《剑南诗稿》的修复案例。沈斌老师有着丰富的古籍修复、古籍数字化及活化利用推广经验，曾参与编撰多项相关研究出版物，其修复的《剑南诗稿》获全国古籍修复技艺竞赛优秀奖。
Mr. Shen introduced the systemic process of ancient book restoration, including the selection of restoration materials, the preparation of glue, the choice of restoration methods, and important considerations during the page flattening process.
沈斌老师系统介绍了古籍修复的全过程，包括修复材料的选择、浆糊的制作、修复方法的选择、书页喷平过程中的注意点。
During the Q&A session, Mr. Shen provided detailed answers to the audience’s questions regarding the preservation period of restored ancient books, special treatment for aging books, the principles of water-based ink restoration, and methods for handling moldy ancient books.
在问答环节，沈斌老师针对听众提出的的古籍修复保质期、老化古籍的特殊处理、水系油墨修复原理、发霉古籍的处理方法等问题进行了详尽解答。
At the end of the event, the audience had the opportunity to personally experience the restoration of damaged ancient books and the binding process. “I also saw many foreign friends come to this event today and actively participate. I can also truly feel that Chinese culture is expanding its impact around the world,” said Haoyuan Yang, UG Class of 2028.
活动的最后，在场观众亲自体验了破损古籍的修复和古籍装订环节。2028届本科生杨昊源表示：“今天也看到了很多外国友人，能够来到这个活动并且积极参与，我也能够真正地感觉到中国文化正在走向世界。”
