National Library of China

National Library of China
Name	National Library of China
Native name	国家图书馆
Established	1909
Location	Beijing, People's Republic of China
Collection size	over 41 million items
Director	Sun Wuzhong

National Library of China The National Library of China is the national public library of the People's Republic of China located in Beijing. It serves as a major research library, legal deposit repository, and cultural heritage center, holding one of the largest collections of Chinese literature, Buddhist canon, Manuscripts, and rare books in the world. The institution collaborates with national and international organizations such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, UNESCO, and the Library of Congress.

History

The library traces its origins to the establishment of the Imperial Peking University collections and the Qing dynasty's late reforms under figures associated with the Late Qing reforms, Kang Youwei, and Liang Qichao. In 1909 the institution was founded during the reign of the Xuantong Emperor amid the context of the Xinhai Revolution and the demise of the Qing dynasty. During the Republican era it interacted with institutions like the Peking Union Medical College and the Beijing Normal University library systems. The library's holdings and mission were reshaped after 1949 through policies of the Chinese Communist Party and initiatives such as campaigns parallel to the First Five-Year Plan (China 1953–1957). Historical challenges included wartime relocations during the Second Sino-Japanese War and collection protection measures related to the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. In the reform era the library expanded under leaders influenced by exchanges with the National Library of France, the British Library, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Collections and Holdings

The National Library houses printed works, manuscripts, maps, and audiovisual materials, including extensive holdings in Chinese classics, Oracle bone script rubbings, Dunhuang manuscripts, and the Yongle Encyclopedia fragments. Its foreign language collections include rare editions from the Yale University Library, Harvard University Library, and the Bodleian Library. Special collections feature holdings associated with figures such as Zhou Enlai, Lu Xun, Mao Zedong, and Zhu Xi. The library's map room contains cartographic materials linked to the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty surveys and international atlases from the Royal Geographical Society. Holdings also encompass periodicals circulated in conjunction with archival exchanges with the Princeton University Library, Russian State Library, and the National Diet Library.

Facilities and Architecture

The main complex is situated near the Wangfujing area of Beijing and includes historic structures dating to the late Qing and Republican periods as well as modern additions. Architectural phases reflect influences from the Sino-Soviet architectural exchange and contemporary projects by designers who studied at the Tsinghua University architecture program and abroad at institutions like the École des Beaux-Arts and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Preservation facilities incorporate climate-control systems aligned with standards promoted by ICOMOS and IFLA. The campus includes reading rooms named for cultural figures such as Confucius, Sun Yat-sen, and Cao Xueqin, and exhibition halls that have hosted items related to the Silk Road, the Great Wall of China, and the Tang dynasty.

Services and Programs

The library offers reference services comparable to those at the British Library, interlibrary loan arrangements with the National Library of Australia and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and public programming including exhibitions, lectures, and workshops. Educational outreach partners include the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and provincial libraries like the Shanghai Library and the Guangdong Provincial Library. Digital services interface with initiatives led by universities such as Peking University and Fudan University, and support research projects connected to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the National Center for the Performing Arts (China). Cultural diplomacy activities have included loans to exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, and the Palace Museum (Beijing).

Research, Preservation, and Digitization

The National Library conducts research in bibliographical studies, conservation science, and digital humanities in collaboration with institutions like the Academy of Sciences affiliated labs, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, and the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze. Preservation labs apply techniques developed in dialogues with the Getty Conservation Institute and training exchanges with the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts. Digitization projects encompass collections such as Dunhuang manuscripts, Bamboo slips, and rare Song dynasty editions, and involve metadata standards interoperable with the Digital Public Library of America and Europeana. The library contributes to national initiatives like the National Rare Books Protection Project and cooperative networks including the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS).

Organization and Governance

Governance structures align with cultural policy frameworks under oversight from entities such as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and feature directors and administrators who have trained at institutions including Peking University, Tsinghua University, and international centers like the University of Oxford and the Columbia University. Organizational departments include acquisitions, preservation, reader services, and international cooperation, with partnerships spanning the National Library Board (Singapore), the Library and Archives Canada, and the National Library of Korea. The library awards honors and collaborates on initiatives recognized by bodies like UNESCO and participates in standards dialogues with ISO bodies.

Category:Libraries in China