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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1979
BACK ROOM WORKERS PRESERVE HONG KONG'S HISTORY
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MANY OF HONG KONG'S HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN A NEW LEASE OF LIFE - THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF TWO BACK ROOM WORKERS IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE.
THEY ARE MR. YIP KWAN-CHAN AND MR. LOH YUK-FUN OF THE DOCUMENTS REPAIR AND BINDERY SECTION WHOSE WORK CALLS FOR A GREAT DEAL OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AND DELICACY IN RESTORING THE TATTERED DOCUMENTS ERODED BY TIME.
ACCORDING TO MR. YIP AND MR. LOH, THE BIGGEST ENEMY OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS IS THE ACIDIC CONTENT IN SOME PAPERS WHICH WILL GRADUALLY ERODE THEM AND LEAD TO THEIR DESTRUCTION.
SO THE FIRST STEP IN RESTORING A WORN-OUT DOCUMENT IS TO SOAK IT IN A SOLUTION OF CHEMICALS CONSISTING OF CALCIUM HYDROXIDE AND CALCIUM CARBONATE TO NEUTRALISE THE ACIDITY OF THE PAPER.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT STEP IN DOCUMENT RESTORATION IS THE PATCHING UP OF THE TATTERED DOCUMENT.
+IT REQUIRES A LOT OF CONCENTRATION IN MENDING A TATTERED DOCUMENT IN BITS AND PIECES LIKE SOLVING A JIG-SAW PUZZLE,+ MR. YIP SAID.
SOMETIMES A SLIGHT BLOW OF AIR TOWARDS THE SMALL FRAGMENTS WILL SEND THEM FLYING IN THE AIR AND WE HAVE TO START IT ALL OVER AGAIN,+ HE ADDED,
BUT ALL THESE ARE TAKEN IN STRIDE BY MR. YIP AND MR. LOH WHO HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN DOCUMENT RESTORATION AND BINDING WORK SINCE THIS SECTION IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE WAS SET UP IN 1974.
WITH THEIR DELICATE CRAFTSMANSHIP, MANY VALUABLE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG WERE RESTORED. THEY ARE AT PRESENT BUSY IN SAVING A VOLUME OF O
CORRESPONDENCE WRITTEN BETWEEN 1832 AND 1846 FROM COMPLETE DISINTEGRATION.
TIME AND CLIMATE HAVE SO MUCH ERODED THE 140-YEAR-OLD LETTERS, CONCERNING BRITISH ACTIONS IN CANTON, MACAU AND HONG KONG, THAT MUCH WORK WILL BE REQUIRED TO RESTORE THE DOCUMENTS.
PRIOR TO THEIR POSTING TO THE PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE, BOTH MR. YIP AND MR. LOH WORKED IN THE PRINTING DEPARTMENT AND LEARNED THEIR DOCUMENT RESTORING AND BINDING TECHNIQUES FROM THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MR. D.R. RICK.
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