As a carrier for inheriting human civilization and witnessing historical development, the aging mechanism and dating of traditional handmade paper are considered to be extremely valuable. The reduction of aged handmade paper’s various macro performances is ultimately due to the attenuation of physical and chemical properties on the nano/micro-scale. Therefore, the characterization and analysis of the micro-scale structure of the traditional handmade paper is the key to understanding the aging mechanism of paper and accurate assessment of aging status as well as the basis for realizing its value. Spectral analysis has attracted much attention since its excellent Spatio-temporal resolution, fast response, high signal-to-noise ratio and good sensitivity. Moreover, precious paper samples’ testingis no longer restricted because of non-destructive or micro-destructive characteristics, obtaining detailed information of aged handmade paper from nano/micro-scale. Herein, the review, which mainly focuseson non-destructive or micro-destructive spectroscopy analytical methods including IR, UV/Vis, Raman, NMR, THz, X-ray, LIFS, hyphenated spectroscopy and microscope on the most recent decade, is to provide interior and surface information of the aged paper at a micro/nano level (element, chemical structure, chemical composition and micromorphology). These analytical results are beneficial to establish a platform for multiscale detection in complicated conditions via exploring the relationship between macro and micro structure of the handmade paper, which play an important role in dealing with its state of conservation, repair work, and aging mechanism of handmade paper.