Restoration of Folk Document Covers from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China

The covers of booklets and books in folk documents primarily serve to protect the pages. Owing to long-term storage limitations, a considerable number of book covers have suffered varying degrees of damage. Following the principles of restoration, a comparative analysis and restoration of folk document covers were conducted, selecting four different types of carriers from the Taihang Mountain Documents, ranging from the Qing dynasty to the Republican Era. These carriers included hemp, mulberry bark, and machine-made paper, and cotton blue cloth. Each cover type was matched with an appropriate restoration paper, and different methods were employed during the restoration process. Through restoration, the previously damaged document covers can continue to fulfill their role in protecting the books, thereby extending the lifespan of these four folk documents.