Hangzhou Local Chronicles Museum held the second Qiqiao Book Basking Fair on the Qixi Festival, or the Chinese Valentine’s Day, on August 22. The museum placed 30 plus ancient books in the sun in its backyard, and invited people to have a close-up experience of the book basking ceremony. Apart from opening its ancient books to readers, the museum prepared 12 printing woodblocks themed Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. Visitors can use them and made a thread-bound book by themselves.  

Book basking has a history of 1,000 years in China. Literati in the past, out of caring for fine books, would take books out in sunny days and put them in cool and dry places. This prevents books from getting mildewed and bitten by insects, thus prolonging the life of books. Since the Emepror Xiaozong’s reign (1174-1189) of the Southern Song Dynasty, then imperial library had been following the tradition of holding a book basking ceremony on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Officials were also given an opportunity to observe the ceremony.