National Library of China
China’s national library, based in Beijing, collects, preserves, and provides access to the country’s published heritage and research resources.
National library: A library designated to collect, preserve, and provide access to a nation’s documentary heritage. The National Library of China is the institution serving this role for China.
Legal deposit: A legal requirement that publishers provide copies of publications to designated institutions. Deposit rules support the library’s systematic collection of Chinese publications.
Imperial Library of Peking: The national library established in Beijing in 1909, later renamed and developed into the National Library of China. It is the institution’s direct historical predecessor.
Rare book: A book valued for its scarcity, age, condition, provenance, or historical significance. The library preserves rare Chinese books that document literary and intellectual history.
Cultural heritage: Inherited material and intangible resources that communities value and transmit across generations. Preserving publications makes the library a steward of China’s documentary cultural heritage.
Chinese National Bibliography: A record of publications issued in China, compiled to support bibliographic control and discovery. Bibliographic records help document the publications the library collects.
Digital preservation: The processes used to maintain digital information and keep it accessible over time. Long-term access requires preserving born-digital publications as well as physical materials.
Qing dynasty: China’s last imperial dynasty, which ruled from 1644 to 1912. The library’s founding initiative emerged during the dynasty’s final years.
Dunhuang manuscripts: Manuscripts and documents discovered in the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang, dating chiefly from the fourth to eleventh centuries. The library holds major materials connected to this landmark body of Chinese documentary heritage.
Bibliographic control: The organization of bibliographic information so publications can be identified, described, and found. National-scale records help establish what has been published and where it can be accessed.