This model was based on the Yongle da dian, a Chinese manuscript encyclopedia from the 16th century. The encyclopedia represented an attempt to record all forms of knowledge known to Chinese civilization during Yongle's reign. Approximately 4% of the duplicate edition still exists today, the original, 15th century edition having been completely lost. In 2007, Wikipedia surpassed the Yongle da dian as the world's largest general encyclopedia.

 

This model was made during the East Asian Book Conservation Workshop, a two-day fall 2022 LACE workshop taught by Dan Paterson at Cornell University.

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Key Features

• Sheets printed on one side and folded in half with the fold at the foreedge

• Paper twist "nails" are inserted through pierced holes in the textblock

• No squares

• Adhesive attachment of cover and wrapped back structure (unlike more traditional thread bound structure with covers attached with silk thread and spine exposed)