Restorers preserve ancient books for posterity

Rising from the dust

Even though she is now a dedicated, renowned restorer, Shi didn't really want the job in the first place.

As a child, she often played around the library, where her father worked. One day, at age 13, she passed the open door of a room on the fourth floor. A quick glance revealed pots, pans and bowls placed on the table. "It must be the canteen," she thought at the time.

At age 22, Shi was transferred from the provincial information center to the library to help build a digital catalog database. After a year, the human resources department asked her to join the book restoration team because one of the five members would soon retire.

"The first time I walked into the 'canteen room', I figured out that it was my future office. I was desperate. The air had a musty smell. Five workers sat around a shabby desk, fiddling with some tattered books. One of them was removing insect feces with tweezers," she said, adding that the team's daily articles, such as thermos flasks and bowls, covered every available space.

"So that's the end of my bright, promising future, I thought to myself. Seeing me frowning and speechless, a worker said: 'How about giving it a try?' I never thought I would do it for my whole life."

At the time, Shi was the only young team member, as all her colleagues were about 50. For the first three years, she learned from the retiring employee, Tan Guo'an, who is now 79. Shi, a film advertising graduate, was a greenhorn who had to learn every basic skill.