PekingUniversityLibrary

Source: https://lib.pku.edu.cn/en/3wxbz/34gwxz_1/index.htm Parent: https://lib.pku.edu.cn/en/

Since Peking University is one of the earliest comprehensive universities in modern China, the ancient literature collected by the Peking University Library keeps growing with the development of the university. By far, the total collection of ancient books has reached 1.6 million volumes. More than 20,000 titles of them are rare books (totaling over 200,000 volumes), and 427 of them have been selected into National Catalogue of Precious Ancient Books while 88 of them have been selected into the list of Facsimile Reprint Project of Chinese Rare Books . In terms of both the total quantity and the number of rare books, Peking University Library ranks first among the university libraries in China, and third among all libraries in the country just after the National Library of China and the Shanghai Library. In 2008, Peking University Library was chosen as one of the first batch of major institutions for ancient books protection at the national level. \ More

Literature from the Western Regions

The literature from the Western Regions in Peking University Library was mostly purchased in the middle of the last century. It mainly consists of Buddhist books, and also contains a small amount of Taoist literature. Although its quantity is not large, it has a great variety, including certificates of ordination, almanacs, bianwen , etc. There are also some fragments of extremely rare manuscripts written in other languages, such as ancient Tibetan, Khotan, Uighur and Tangut. Many of these documents are ancient Yijing, which can supplement the lack of Buddhist literature passed down from generation to generation. Parts of the scripture writing has clear and vigorous fonts, and the paper and ink are as fresh as new, making it a rare artistic treasure. There are also some documents that are rare early woodblock prints in China, which have great empirical and representative significance in the history of printing. \ More

Block-print Editions of Song and Yuan Dynasties

The Song and Yuan block-printed editions have high cultural and documentary value due to their distant publication year, rare survival, and resemblance to the ancient manuscripts. Peking University Library has collected more than 300 titles of Song and Yuan Dynasty block-printed books, which have been preserved in an orderly manner. Most of them have annotations, prefaces, postscripts and official seals from famous scholars, and they are the essential collections of the rare books in the library. From the perspective of carving regions and craftsmanship, it encompasses multiple regions such as Zhejiang Province and Fujian Province, and has a rich variety of craft categories. Many of these documents, such as the engraved version of "Spring and Autumn Annals" printed in the fourth year of the Qiandao reign of the Song Dynasty (1168), and the ancient hall engraved version of "Mr. Sus' Collected Works of Chongguang Meishan" printed in the thirtieth year of the Shaoxing reign of the Song Dynasty (1160), have been extremely rare for collection. \ More

Rare Editions of Ming and Qing Dynasties

The Ming and Qing dynasties were the peak of the development of printing technology in China. In addition to Woodblock printing, the publishing technology of movable type printing, multi-color overprint and other forms also presented their own unique style. During the Qing Dynasty, printing technology flourished, and even a combination of movable type and overprinting techniques emerged, which was astonishing. \ More

Imperial Book Collections of Qing Dynasty

The famous collections of books in the Imperial Palace of Qing dynasty were the Tianlu Linlang Collection and the Wenyuan Ge Collection. The Library of Peking University preserves some portion of "Tianlu Linlang" books and a small amount of "Wenyuan Ge Si Ku Quan Shu", which are valuable for investigating the history of book compilation and collection in the Imperial Palace of Qing dynasty . \ More

Manuscripts, Handwritten Copies and Collated Editions

Our library has a large collection of manuscripts, transcripts, and collated editions from Ming and Qing dynasties, including the manuscripts and transcripts of famous scholars such as Zhu Yizun and Hui Dong. \ More

Chinese Rubbings

Chinese rubbings are one of the ancient literature treasures of Peking University Library, with the collections of more than 40,000 pieces. The digitization of Chinese rubbings collection of Peking University Library began in 2000. After more than 20 years of accumulation, all collections can be retrieved through MiJiLinLang. More than 80,000 pieces of images have been presented in total. \ More

Chinese Paintings

Paintings

The library of Peking University has collected a number of unique painting treasures. They are paintings of famous artists including Wu Bin, Mi Wanzhong, Gaiqi, Wu Changshuo, Pu Xinshe, Li Shengduo, Cai Yuanpei, etc.

More - Calligraphies

Peking University library has a rich collection of calligraphies written by famous calligraphers. Ancient ones include the calligraphies of famous calligraphers such as Wen Zhengming and Fu Shan of Ming Dynasty, and the recent letters from scholars s...

[XuanLanZhongQu

"XuanLanZhongQu" is the abbreviation for "ZhuZhongQuYiXuanLan", which is quoted from The Art of Writing, a famous article of Lu Ji in the Western Jin Dynasty. Its meaning is standing between heaven and earth and watching the world with a clear, peac...](#?mao=xuanlan3) - [Online Retrieval

To retrieve information related to Peking University Library's ancient books, it is necessary to use two self-built databases -- "MiJiLinLang" and "XueYuanJiGu". In addition, there are purchased and open access databases available for utilization.](http://rbdl.calis.edu.cn/aopac/indexold.jsp) - Service Platform

This platform concentrates the resources, functions, and services of Peking University Library's reading room of ancient books (This platform is under construction).

Rare Book Display

Something Special about the "Shoe Mould"
Recitation of Classics: "The Deer Bleet," from The Book of Songs: Minor Odes of the Kingdom" More
[HanYuanYingHua

When the east building of Peking University Library was reopened in 2020, the library launched this rare literature exhibition. The exhibition has displayed over one hundred treasures of literature, ranging from the fine block-printed editions of the...](/publish/bjdxtsg/4whjy/43kywjljzckjfw/436wsztrk/bd5688.htm) - [Lovely Chinese Books

This exhibition is named after the book "Lovely Chinese Books," written by Liu Guojun from the Department of Information Management of Peking University. Through physical objects, pictures, feature films and other forms, the exhibition comprehensivel...](../../docs/2023-10/ba00a521d4a24323a4890277596604c0.pdf) - [Cultural Experience

PKU Library regularly holds the "JuanQianZaoLi MoCaiShengXiang" woodblock printing experience workshop and the "HuDianYouDao MiaoShouJiangXin" exhibition of ancient book restoration techniques. Teachers, students, alumni, and guests are invited to ex...](3414wht_1/index.htm)