Masters of glue

Meet the young Chinese learning the ancient craft of book restoration, whose skills range from simply making proper paste to having a sense of history. Wang Kaihao takes a close look at their work and lives.

Li Yidong starts his day much like a baker. He makes a ball of dough, kneads it, allows it to rise and then washes the dough with water to extract the crucial ingredient: starch.

The 28-year-old is one of 19 book restorers at the National Library of China in Beijing, which is home to the world's largest collection of ancient Chinese books.