Rare Book Restoration
Documentaries
2026
国家级古籍修复技艺传习中心依托国家图书馆古籍馆文献修复组优质的师资、场地、设备、材料等教学条件,开展古籍修复技艺传习工作。历经十余年持续努力,传习中心培育出一支业务精湛、结构合理、备受赞誉的古籍修复团队。在传承技艺的同时,传习中心鼓励青年修复师发挥学术专长,开展科研工作。引入化学、材料学、植物学、文物保护学、美术学等现代学科知识,推动古籍修复行业规范化、科学化发展。
从事古籍修复工作不但要熟悉各个朝代书籍的形式和版本,还要了解各朝纸张、书皮及装订风格,更要有娴熟的技艺。修补一本古书往往要经过十几、甚至几十道工序,一招一式极为考究,对从事古籍修复人员的要求更是近乎苛刻。
整个过程要经历六道基本工序:交接及拆书:古籍属于文物,交接时要与交付者逐册逐叶清点,注意是否有残缺。待修复古籍都要把原书拆开后修复,工序包括:拆线、拆书衣、拆纸钉。为避免前后顺序错乱,一般都会在书叶右下角,用细铅笔编上页码。书衣,即书的前后封衣,又称书皮、书面。书衣有布、纸两种,最常见的是用栗色毛边纸和青色连史纸做成的书衣;布料、绵绫则多施于古籍善本。明清内府图书常用黄绫作衣,以示尊贵。书衣上一般题有书名,或直接写在封皮上,或贴一纸书签。书叶,按文稿顺序排列的书写、印制的单张纸叶。
制糊及染料:浆糊是古籍修复中的重要材料。浆糊的浓度,是保证修复工作质量的关键。古人用花椒水、白芨水熬制浆糊,通过添加剂来提高浆糊的粘度和防腐能力。现代采用不添加任何化学成分的小麦淀粉。其中“搅不停手,多搅则糊性 有力”是制糊的要诀。 特别注意的是,修复用纸,须与原书纸张颜色保持一致。采用仿古染色技术,将新纸染制成与原书叶色泽相似的古旧纸。调制染汁,必须选用矿物染料或植物染料,每年中秋前后,工作人员会去孤山上寻找“橡碗子”的一种植物,利用它的壳来做黄色染料。
配纸及染纸:为古籍寻找修补破损之处的材料,要求纸性、颜色、厚薄、帘纹与所修书叶相宜,配纸环节尽量在自然光线下操作。刷染时,用排笔蘸染汁往纸上刷,刷时需用力均匀,由浅及深,合适为止。修复纸张的选配是古籍修复工作的基础,更是每个修复人员的基本功。十八号纸、深色洒金宣、狼毒纸、大红宣、构皮六号、桑树枝嫩皮、毛太纸、龟纹宣、桑皮纸……不同的修复用纸,其分类、编码、标注名称、厚度、酸碱度、亮度、颜色、平面结构、纤维信息等均不同。修复师会选用与古籍用纸相同或接近的修复用纸进行修复。
清洗书叶:有些书叶因水渍或遭污物而呈黑黄色,修复前用毛笔蘸微量碱水沿水渍向书叶外延轻划,将污渍划洗出书叶外,再用热水隔布淋洗,待书叶浸透,用手轻轻挤压书叶,使书叶中的脏水流出。
蒸揭书叶:书籍经水湿、霉变后,粘结成团,书叶黏结紧密,板结成块,俗称“书砖”。此时,揭开书叶尤为困难。对于不易揭开的书叶,便采用蒸揭法,将书放入蒸锅内,使热气穿透书叶、趁热揭开。
书叶修补:古籍修复采用“修旧如旧”的原则。修补的过程关乎书籍修复的质量。主要包括:溜口、托裱、修补、喷潮、折页、剪边、锤书、齐书口、压平、打洞、下纸捻、订线 。
The National Center for the Transmission of Ancient Book Restoration Skills, operating under the Preservation and Conservation Department of the National Library of China, leverages its superior teaching resources—including qualified instructors, dedicated workspaces, advanced equipment, and specialized materials—to conduct training in restoration techniques. Over more than a decade of sustained effort, the Center has cultivated a highly competent, well-structured, and widely recognized restoration team. Alongside skills transmission, it encourages young conservators to pursue research in their respective academic fields, integrating knowledge from chemistry, materials science, botany, heritage conservation, and fine arts to promote standardized and scientific practices within the profession.
Restoration work demands not only thorough familiarity with the physical formats and editions of books across various dynasties, but also in-depth knowledge of period-specific papers, cover materials, and binding styles, coupled with consummate manual dexterity. The conservation of a single ancient volume often involves a dozen or even dozens of procedural steps, each executed with exacting precision—placing exceptionally high demands on the practitioner's expertise and craftsmanship.
