An irreplaceable loss

More than half of the 500,000 ancient books stored in Henan provincial library have been damaged due to neglect. The director of the library said it is difficult to obtain financial support for their maintenance. Only when protecting ancient books proves lucrative will the local authorities really start to look after them, says an article of the Changjiang Daily. Excerpts:

The library, built in 1989, has not been repaired and maintained for 23 years, let alone the books stored in it. This is the real situation of the valuable ancient books in local libraries. If the books could bring economic benefits like sites of historical interest, or stir support like ancient tombs, local authorities would certainly act spontaneously to protect them. But with no financial gain involved, books are viewed as valueless rubbish.

But the value of ancient books is not monetary. As important cultural relics, perhaps the only copy in the world, their value is far beyond the imagination of the local authorities.

Some of them may know about the cultural value of these books, but they cannot translate that value into money and revenue for local finance. That's why many places of historical interest cannot be protected and cared for until they are turned into tourist resorts, which bring sustainable economic benefits and fame to local places.

The ancient books we lost cannot be replaced. The money we make from tourism is nothing compared to this loss in culture.

(China Daily 06/20/2012 page9)