Nghe An: Digitizing more than 41,500 pages of Han Nom documents

(Baonghean.vn) - That is the number stated at the training course on Preservation and restoration of Han Nom documents organized by the Relic Management Board - Department of Culture & Sports on August 22-23.

Nghe An is one of the provinces with a very rich Han Nom heritage source, from the form of expression to the content such as: Royal decrees, royal edicts, diplomas, orders, woodblocks, parallel sentences... These Han Nom documents are scattered in pagodas, family temples, village communal houses, residential communities and are considered a very important source of historical documents, containing many historical values ​​of the province.

Digitizing Han Nom documents. Photo: Thanh Quynh

However, at present, the Han Nom heritage in the province is facing many challenges in preserving and promoting its value. Most of the Han - Nom heritage is expressed on organic materials such as: Do paper, wood, fabric, silk, leaves... most of which are rotten, the content of the documents is therefore also lost. Many documents are severely damaged such as at Thanh Liet temple, Cho Hen pagoda, Ha - Quynh Vinh temple, Ban Tho - Quynh Trang temple (Quynh Luu)...

Meanwhile, some localities have not yet fully understood the urgency and importance of the work of repairing, preserving and restoring documents when they are lost or damaged...so the coordination and implementation of this work is still slow and not thorough.

Therefore, the opening of training courses on preservation, restoration and digitization of Han Nom documents has been and is being actively coordinated by the Provincial Relic Management Board with all levels, sectors and localities.

Experts from Ho Chi Minh City Library give instructions on how to clean and prevent mold on Han Nom documents. Photo: Thanh Quynh

At the training course on Preservation and Restoration of Han Nom Documents, experts provided specific instructions on cleaning and handling mold on pages made from wind paper.

In particular, cleaning and improving the environment of the document warehouse are also given detailed instructions to students.

Through the training course, students also learn and practice how to use the necessary equipment to deal with mold, humidity and common damage to documents.

Trainees were instructed on how to preserve historical documents. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Along with that, the digitization work was also trained for the trainees. It is known that in 2017, the digitization of Han Nom documents was carried out in 27 communes with more than 7,200 pages of documents, bringing the total number of digitized documents to 41,543 in 139 communes of the province. These are remarkable achievements contributing to the preservation and restoration of valuable Han Nom documents in Nghe An./.

Thanh Quynh