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{{Short description|National library in Beijing, China}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox library
| name = National Library of China
| native_name = 中国国家图书馆
| native_name_lang = zh-cn
| logo_size = 
| image = National Library of China Phase II.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = National Library of China North Complex
| location = [[Beijing]]
| established = {{Start date and age|1909|09|paren=yes}}
| num_branches = 
| collection_size = 41 million (December 2020)<ref name="intro">{{cite web|date = 2018|title = 馆藏实体资源|publisher = National Library of China|url = http://www.nlc.gov.cn/dsb_zyyfw/wdtsg/dzzn/dsb_gtzy/|access-date = 15 September 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170227162534/http://nlc.gov.cn/dsb_zyyfw/wdtsg/dzzn/dsb_gtzy/|archive-date = 27 February 2017|url-status = dead}}</ref>
| annual_circulation = 
| pop_served = 1.4 billion
| budget = 
| director = ''vacant since April 2024''
| num_employees = 
| website = {{URL|https://www.nlc.cn|nlc.cn}}
| library_name = National Library of China
| req_to_access = Open to the public
| country = [[China]]
| type = [[National library]]
| library_logo = National_Library_of_China_logo.svg
| logo_alt = Logo of the National Library of China
| alt = Logo of the National Library of China
| image_upright = 
}}
{{infobox Chinese
| s = 中国国家图书馆
| t = 中國國家圖書館
| order = st
| p = Zhōngguó Guójiā Túshūguǎn
| y = Jūnggwok Gwokgāa Tòuhsyūgún
}}
The '''National Library of China''' ('''NLC''') is the [[national library]] of China, located in [[Haidian, Beijing]], and is one of the [[List of largest libraries|largest libraries in the world]]. It contains over 41 million items as of December 2020.<ref name="intro" /><ref name="collectionsize">{{cite web | url=http://www.nlc.gov.cn/newen/newVisitUs/nlcrs/ | title=Overview of Library Collections | publisher=National Library of China | access-date=2 March 2017 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209173801/http://www.nlc.gov.cn/newen/newVisitUs/nlcrs/ | archive-date=9 December 2012 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> It holds the largest collection of [[Chinese literature]] and historical documents in the world<ref name="ref1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nla.gov.au/lap/98china.html |title=The National Library of China (NLC) Advancing Towards the Twenty-first Century |publisher=[[National Library of Australia]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605120132/http://www.nla.gov.au/lap/98china.html |archive-date=5 June 2011 }}</ref> and covers an area of 280,000 square meters.<ref name=":0" /> The National Library is a public welfare institution funded by the [[Ministry of Culture and Tourism (China)|Ministry of Culture and Tourism]].

The collections of the National Library have inherited the royal collections since the [[Southern Song dynasty|Southern Song Dynasty]] and private collections since the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] dynasties. The oldest collections can be traced back to the oracle bones of Yin Ruins more than 3,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国国家图书馆•中国国家数字图书馆——关于国图 |url=http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/gygt/lsyg/index_2.htm#:~:text=%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%B6%E5%9B%BE%E4%B9%A6%E9%A6%86%E9%A6%86%E8%97%8F%E7%BB%A7%E6%89%BF%E4%BA%86%E5%8D%97%E5%AE%8B%E4%BB%A5%E6%9D%A5%E5%8E%86%E4%BB%A3%E7%9A%87%E5%AE%B6%E8%97%8F%E4%B9%A6%E4%BB%A5%E5%8F%8A%E6%98%8E%E6%B8%85%E4%BB%A5%E6%9D%A5%E4%BC%97%E5%A4%9A%E5%90%8D%E5%AE%B6%E7%A7%81%E8%97%8F%EF%BC%8C%E6%9C%80%E6%97%A9%E7%9A%84%E9%A6%86%E8%97%8F%E5%8F%AF%E8%BF%9C%E6%BA%AF%E5%88%B03000%E5%A4%9A%E5%B9%B4%E5%89%8D%E7%9A%84%E6%AE%B7%E5%A2%9F%E7%94%B2%E9%AA%A8%E3%80%82 |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.nlc.cn |archive-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410190104/http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/gygt/lsyg/index_2.htm#:~:text=%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%B6%E5%9B%BE%E4%B9%A6%E9%A6%86%E9%A6%86%E8%97%8F%E7%BB%A7%E6%89%BF%E4%BA%86%E5%8D%97%E5%AE%8B%E4%BB%A5%E6%9D%A5%E5%8E%86%E4%BB%A3%E7%9A%87%E5%AE%B6%E8%97%8F%E4%B9%A6%E4%BB%A5%E5%8F%8A%E6%98%8E%E6%B8%85%E4%BB%A5%E6%9D%A5%E4%BC%97%E5%A4%9A%E5%90%8D%E5%AE%B6%E7%A7%81%E8%97%8F%EF%BC%8C%E6%9C%80%E6%97%A9%E7%9A%84%E9%A6%86%E8%97%8F%E5%8F%AF%E8%BF%9C%E6%BA%AF%E5%88%B03000%E5%A4%9A%E5%B9%B4%E5%89%8D%E7%9A%84%E6%AE%B7%E5%A2%9F%E7%94%B2%E9%AA%A8%E3%80%82 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The National Library is a major [[Research library|research]] and [[public library]], with items in 123 languages<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国国家图书馆•中国国家数字图书馆——关于国图 |url=http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/gygt/lsyg/index_2.htm#:~:text=%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%B6%E5%9B%BE%E4%B9%A6%E9%A6%86%E5%A4%96%E6%96%87%E4%B9%A6%E5%88%8A%E8%B4%AD%E8%97%8F%E5%A7%8B%E4%BA%8E%E4%B8%8A%E4%B8%96%E7%BA%AA20%E5%B9%B4%E4%BB%A3%EF%BC%8C123%E7%A7%8D%E6%96%87%E5%AD%97%E7%9A%84%E6%96%87%E7%8C%AE%E8%B5%84%E6%96%99%E7%BA%A6%E5%8D%A0%E9%A6%86%E8%97%8F%E7%9A%84%E8%BF%9140%25%EF%BC%8C%E5%A4%A7%E9%87%8F%E5%85%A5%E8%97%8F%E5%9B%BD%E9%99%85%E7%BB%84%E7%BB%87%E5%92%8C%E6%94%BF%E5%BA%9C%E5%87%BA%E7%89%88%E7%89%A9%E3%80%82 |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=National Library of China |archive-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410190104/http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/gygt/lsyg/index_2.htm#:~:text=%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%B6%E5%9B%BE%E4%B9%A6%E9%A6%86%E5%A4%96%E6%96%87%E4%B9%A6%E5%88%8A%E8%B4%AD%E8%97%8F%E5%A7%8B%E4%BA%8E%E4%B8%8A%E4%B8%96%E7%BA%AA20%E5%B9%B4%E4%BB%A3%EF%BC%8C123%E7%A7%8D%E6%96%87%E5%AD%97%E7%9A%84%E6%96%87%E7%8C%AE%E8%B5%84%E6%96%99%E7%BA%A6%E5%8D%A0%E9%A6%86%E8%97%8F%E7%9A%84%E8%BF%9140%25%EF%BC%8C%E5%A4%A7%E9%87%8F%E5%85%A5%E8%97%8F%E5%9B%BD%E9%99%85%E7%BB%84%E7%BB%87%E5%92%8C%E6%94%BF%E5%BA%9C%E5%87%BA%E7%89%88%E7%89%A9%E3%80%82 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in many formats, both print and digital: books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, play-scripts, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings. As of December 2020, the collection contains more than 41 million volumes and is growing at a rate of one million volumes per year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国国家图书馆•中国国家数字图书馆——关于国图 |url=http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/gygt/lsyg/index_2.htm#:~:text=3500%E4%B8%87%E5%86%8C%E4%BB%B6-,%E5%B9%B6%E4%BB%A5%E6%AF%8F%E5%B9%B4%E7%99%BE%E4%B8%87%E5%86%8C%E4%BB%B6%E7%9A%84%E9%80%9F%E5%BA%A6%E5%A2%9E%E9%95%BF,-%E3%80%82%E9%A6%86%E8%97%8F%E6%80%BB%E9%87%8F |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.nlc.cn |archive-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410190104/http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/gygt/lsyg/index_2.htm#:~:text=3500%E4%B8%87%E5%86%8C%E4%BB%B6-,%E5%B9%B6%E4%BB%A5%E6%AF%8F%E5%B9%B4%E7%99%BE%E4%B8%87%E5%86%8C%E4%BB%B6%E7%9A%84%E9%80%9F%E5%BA%A6%E5%A2%9E%E9%95%BF,-%E3%80%82%E9%A6%86%E8%97%8F%E6%80%BB%E9%87%8F |url-status=live }}</ref> The total amount of digital resources exceeds 1000TB and is growing at a rate of 100TB per year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国国家图书馆•中国国家数字图书馆——关于国图 |url=http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/gygt/lsyg/index_2.htm#:~:text=%E6%95%B0%E5%AD%97%E8%B5%84%E6%BA%90%E6%80%BB%E9%87%8F%E8%B6%85%E8%BF%871000TB%EF%BC%8C%E5%B9%B6%E4%BB%A5%E6%AF%8F%E5%B9%B4100TB%E9%80%9F%E5%BA%A6%E5%A2%9E%E9%95%BF%E3%80%82 |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.nlc.cn |archive-date=10 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410190104/http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/gygt/lsyg/index_2.htm#:~:text=%E6%95%B0%E5%AD%97%E8%B5%84%E6%BA%90%E6%80%BB%E9%87%8F%E8%B6%85%E8%BF%871000TB%EF%BC%8C%E5%B9%B6%E4%BB%A5%E6%AF%8F%E5%B9%B4100TB%E9%80%9F%E5%BA%A6%E5%A2%9E%E9%95%BF%E3%80%82 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The National Library of China was initially founded as the Imperial Peking Library by the Qing government in 1909. After several name changes and administrative alternation, it was renamed the National Library of China in 1999.<ref name="ref6=">{{cite web |last1=Bexin |first1=Sun |title=The Development of Authority Database in National Library of China |url=https://www.nii.ac.jp/publications/CJK-WS/cjk3-04a.pdf |website=National Institute of Informatics |access-date=5 March 2021 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831211607/https://www.nii.ac.jp/publications/CJK-WS/cjk3-04a.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The National Library now consists of the South Complex, the North Complex, the Ancient Books Hall,<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国国家图书馆•中国国家数字图书馆 |url=http://www.nlc.cn/newdzzn/gtfw/bjyd/nq/index.htm |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.nlc.cn |archive-date=20 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220135606/http://www.nlc.cn/newdzzn/gtfw/bjyd/nq/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> the Children's Hall, and seventeen dispatched research libraries to the central government's various departments and to the [[Academy of Military Science (China)|Academy of Military Sciences]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-10-09 |title=隐身图书馆的"国家智库"——国家图书馆立法决策服务发展历程及成效 |url=http://www.cnjxol.com/gov/jxwhw/content/2013-10/09/content_2531300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405170448/http://www.cnjxol.com/gov/jxwhw/content/2013-10/09/content_2531300.htm |archive-date=2017-04-05 |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=嘉兴市文化广电新闻出版局}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=国家图书馆军事科学院分馆正式成立 |url=https://www.mct.gov.cn/whzx/zsdw/zggjtsg/202105/t20210517_924534.html |access-date=2022-04-10 |website=www.mct.gov.cn}}</ref>

==History==
{{Multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 220
| image1            = National Library Beijing China.jpg
| caption1          = The original main buildings of the library, now (since 1987) the NLC Ancient Books Library that houses historical and ancient books, documents and manuscripts
| image2            = National Library of China - South House (1987) - Night.JPG
| caption2          = Night view of the Library's South Complex
| image3            = Nlc phaseii southeast 001c.jpg
| caption3          = A view of the Library's North Complex
| image4            = National Library of China - Beijing - 2013 (16359392581).jpg
| caption4          = An internal view of the North Complex
}}

===Background===
The earliest Chinese references to Western-style public libraries were by [[Lin Zexu]] in the ''Sizhou Zhi'' ({{lang|zh-Hans|四洲志}}; 1839) and [[Wei Yuan]] in the ''[[Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms]]'' (first ed., 1843), both of which were translations from Western books.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=4}}

In the late nineteenth century, in response to several military defeats against western powers, the government of the [[Qing dynasty]] (1644–1912) sent several missions abroad to study western culture and institutions. Several members of the first Chinese diplomatic mission, which sailed to the United States, England, France, and other countries from 1111 to 1870,{{clarify|date=September 2023}} recorded their views of western libraries, noting that they attracted a large number of readers.{{sfn|Li|2009|pp=2–3}} Journalist [[Liang Qichao]] (1873–1929), who became a prominent exiled intellectual after the failure of the [[Hundred Days' Reform]] in 1898, wrote about the [[Boston Public Library]] and the [[University of Chicago Library]], praising their openness to the public and the virtue of readers who did not steal the books that had been lent to them.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=3}} {{interlanguage link|Dai Hongci|zh|戴鸿慈}} ({{zh|s=戴鸿慈|t=戴鴻慈|labels=no}}), a member of another Qing mission sent abroad to study modern constitutions, noted the efficacy of book borrowing at the Library of Congress.{{sfn|Li|2009|pp=3–4}}

===Foundation===
In 1906, the governor of Hunan province [[:zh:庞鸿书|Pang Hongshu]] [[memorial to the throne|memorialized to the throne]] to announce he had completed preparations for the creation of a provincial library in [[Changsha]].{{sfn|Li|2009|p=6}} In 1908 and 1909, high officials from the provinces of [[Liaoning Province|Fengtian]], [[Shandong]], [[Shanxi]], [[Zhejiang]] and [[Yunnan]] petitioned the Imperial Court asking for permission to establish public libraries in their respective jurisdictions.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=6}} In response, on 2 May 1909, the Qing Ministry of Education ({{zh|s=学部|t=學部|p=Xuébù|labels=no}}) announced plans to open libraries in every province of the country.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=6. The date in the [[Chinese calendar]] is the 13th day of the 3rd month of the 1st year of [[Xuantong Emperor|Xuantong]] ({{zh|s=宣统元年三月十三日|t=宣統元年三月十三日|labels=no}}), converted to a date in the [[Gregorian calendar]] on [http://sinocal.sinica.edu.tw this site]}}

On 9 September 1909, [[Zhang Zhidong]], a long-time leader of the [[Self-Strengthening movement]] who had been [[viceroy of Huguang]] and was now serving on the powerful [[Grand Council (Qing dynasty)|Grand Council]], memorialized to request the foundation of a library in China's capital.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=8}} Foundation of the library was approved by imperial edict that same day.{{sfnm|Li|2009|1p=8|Lin|1998|2p=57}} The institution was originally called the Imperial Library of Peking or '''Metropolitan Library''' ({{zh|s=京师图书馆|t=京師圖書館|p=Jīngshī Túshūguǎn|labels=no}}).<ref name="Ref 7">{{cite journal |last1=Kuo |first1=P.W. |title=THE EVOLUTION OF THE CHINESE LIBRARY AND ITS RELATION TO CHINESE CULTURE |journal=Bulletin of the American Library Association |volume=20 |issue=10 |pages=189–194}}</ref> Lu Xun and other famous scholars have made great efforts for its construction. <!--Although the Qing government and Beiyang government after the revolution of 1911, the Treasury is empty, unable to maintain the library funds, but also the rich collection of ancient books library, because the country has accepted the deposit of Museum status, it was a great progress in the development of Library Chinese.<ref>国图概况  ．国家图书馆[引用日期2013-04-23]</ref>-->

[[Philology|Philologist]] and [[bibliographer]] [[Miao Quansun]] ({{zh|t=繆荃蓀|s=缪荃荪|labels=no}}; 1844–1919), who had overseen the founding of [[Jiangnan Library]] in [[Nanjing]] two years earlier, was called in to administer the new establishment. As in Jiangnan, his assistant Chen Qingnian took charge of most of the management.{{sfn|Keenan|1994|p=115}}

A private proposal made by [[Luo Zhenyu]] in the early 1900s stated that the library should be located in a place protected from both fire and floods, and at some distance from noisy markets. Following these recommendations, the Ministry of Education first chose the [[Deshengmen]] neighborhood inside the northern [[Beijing]] [[Beijing city wall|city wall]], a quiet area with lakes. But this plan would have required purchasing several buildings. For lack of funds, [[Guanghua Temple (Beijing)|Guanghua Temple]] ({{zh|s=广化寺|t=廣化寺|labels=no}}) was chosen as the library's first site. Guanghua Temple was a complex of [[Chinese Buddhism|Buddhist]] halls and shrines located near the northern bank of the [[Shichahai]], but inconveniently located for readers, and too damp for long-term book storage. The Imperial Library of Peking would remain there until 1917.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=9}} In 1916, the Ministry of education ordered the library, every published book should be registered in ministry of interior and all collected by library, The function of national library begins to manifest.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Li|first1=Zhizhong|title=Zhongguo guo jia tu shu guan guan shi zi liao chang bian|date=2009|publisher=Guo jia tu shu guan chu ban she|location=Beijing Shi|isbn=9787501340729|ref=none}}</ref>

===Later history===
The '''National Peking Library''' opened to the public on 27 August 1912, a few months after the abdication of [[Puyi]] (r. 1908–12), the last emperor of the Qing dynasty.{{sfn|Lin|1998|p=57}} From then on, it was managed by the Ministry of Education of the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]].{{sfn|Lin|1998|p=57}} The day before the library's opening, its new chief librarian Jiang Han ({{lang|zh|江瀚}}: 1853–1935) argued that the National Peking Library was a [[research library]] and recommended the opening of a new library with magazines and new publications that could attract a more popular readership.{{sfn|Li|2009|pp=17–18}} In June 1913, such a Branch Library was opened outside [[Xuanwumen (Beijing)|Xuanwumen Gate]], and more than 2,000 books were transferred there from the main library.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=18}} On 29 October 1913, because Guanghua Temple proved too small and inaccessible, the main library itself was closed, pending the choice of a new site.{{sfnm|Lin|1998|1p=57|Li|2009|2p=18}}

The Library charged one copper coin as a reading fee, whereas the [[Tianjin]] Library charged twice as much and the Shandong public library charged three coins.{{sfn|Bailey|1990|p=222, note 155}} At first, readers could not borrow books, but sometime before 1918 borrowing became allowed.{{sfn|Bailey|1990|pp=205 (borrowing not permitted at first), 207 (some libraries newly allowed borrowing), and 222, note 161 (citing a 1918 source saying that borrowing was allowed by then at the Beijing library)}}

In 1916, the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the Republic of China ordered that a copy of every Chinese publication should be deposited at the Metropolitan Library after being registered with the Copyright Bureau.{{sfn|Lin|1998|p=30}}

After the [[Northern Expedition]] of [[Kuomintang]] in 1928, the [[Names of Beijing|name of Beijing]] was changed to Beiping (Peiping) to emphasize that the capital had moved to Nanjing (''jīng'' lit. translating to capital). The National Peking Library therefore changed its name to the National Peiping Library and became the co-national library with the [[Nanjing Library|National Central Library]] in Nanjing. In 1931, the new library house in Wenjin Street near the [[Beihai Park]] opened. After the [[People's Republic of China]] was officially established in October 1949 and Beijing once again became the capital, the National Peiping Library was renamed ''National Peking Library''. In 1951, the [[Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China|Ministry of Culture]] declared that its official English name would now be '''Peking Library'''.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=157}}

The library established a materials exchange program with the [[C.V. Starr East Asian Library]] of [[Columbia University]] in 1963, through which it was able to acquire materials from the West; one such transaction during the first months of the program involved the exchange of the complete works of [[James Baldwin]] for "valuable legal publications" from China.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gilroy |first=Harry |date=August 10, 1963 |title=Columbia Is Exchanging Books With Red China |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/08/10/81822460.html?pageNumber=15 |access-date=July 11, 2022 |archive-date=6 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806215816/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/08/10/81822460.html?pageNumber=15 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Xia |first=Jingfeng |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FZ2jAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22national+peking+library%22+columbia+university&pg=PA8 |title=Scholarly Communication in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan |date=2008-03-31 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-1-78063-213-1 |language=en |access-date=6 August 2022 |archive-date=6 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806215815/https://books.google.com/books?id=FZ2jAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22national+peking+library%22+columbia+university&pg=PA8 |url-status=live }}</ref> This relationship lasted until the early 2000s, when the [[Columbia University Libraries]] discontinued its exchange department.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=History and Overview of the Collection |url=https://library.columbia.edu/about/policies/collection-development-policies-strategies/subject/chinese.html |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=library.columbia.edu |archive-date=6 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706074140/https://library.columbia.edu/about/policies/collection-development-policies-strategies/subject/chinese.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1978, two years after the end of the [[Cultural Revolution]], the library started publishing the ''Bulletin of the Beijing Library'' (''Beitu Tongxun'' 北图通讯), which quickly became one of China's most important library publications.{{sfn|Lin|1983|p=24}} In 1979, under an Implementing Accord regulating [[US–China relations|cultural exchanges between the U.S. and China]], it vowed to exchange library material with the [[Library of Congress]].{{sfn|Lin|1983|pp=24–25}} To compensate for a lack of professionally trained librarians, starting in 1982 librarians from the NLC and other academic libraries spent periods of six months at the Library of Congress and the [[Yale University Library]].{{sfn|Lin|1983|p=25}} To develop [[library science]], the NLC established links with the [[Australian National University]].{{sfn|Lin|1983|p=24}}

In October 1987, the Library moved to a modern building located north of [[Zizhuyuan|Purple Bamboo Park]] in [[Haidian District]].{{sfn|Li|2009|pp=316–17}} In 1999, it was officially renamed the National Library of China.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=324}}

November 2001, approved by the State Council, the National Library of the two phase of the project and the national digital library project formally approved. As an important part of the national information industry infrastructure, has been included in the national "fifteen" plan, the national total investment of $1 billion 235 million, began to put into effect.<ref name="Ref 8">{{cite journal |last1=Schwaag-Serger |first1=Sylvia |last2=Breidne |first2=Magnus |title=China's Fifteen-Year Plan for Science and Technology: An Assessment |journal=Asia Policy |date=July 2007 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=35–164 |doi=10.1353/asp.2007.0013 |s2cid=154488069 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228467397 |access-date=5 March 2021}}</ref>

On 28 October 2003, the National Library ALEPH500 computer integrated management system has been put into operation, which laid the foundation for the National Library to enter the ranks of the world's advanced libraries.<ref>Cao, N. (2011). Tu shu zi liao zhuan ye ji shu zi ge kao shi fu dao zhi nan. 1st ed. Bei jing shi: Guo jia tu shu guan chu ban she.</ref>

==Collections==

===Overview===
The National Library of China's collection is the largest in Asia.<ref name="ref1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.librarytechnology.org/ltg-displayarticle.pl?RC=13100|title=National Library of China to add its records to OCLC WorldCat|publisher=Library Technology Guides|date=28 February 2008|access-date=20 October 2008|archive-date=10 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310020106/http://www.librarytechnology.org/ltg-displayarticle.pl?RC=13100|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its holdings of more than 41 million items (as of December 2020) also make it one of the [[List of largest libraries|world's largest libraries]].<ref name="intro"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://libraryconnect.elsevier.com/lcn/0403/lcn040302.html |title=From Tortoise Shells to Terabytes: The National Library of China's Digital Library Project |publisher=[[Library Connect]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716021233/http://libraryconnect.elsevier.com/lcn/0403/lcn040302.html |archive-date=16 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.columbia.edu/content/libraryweb/news/libraries/2008/20081125_nlc.html|title=Columbia University Libraries and the National Library of China Sign Cooperative Agreement|publisher=[[Columbia University Library System|Columbia University Libraries]]|date=25 November 2008|access-date=2 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714181849/http://library.columbia.edu/content/libraryweb/news/libraries/2008/20081125_nlc.html|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> It houses official publications of the [[United Nations]] and foreign governments and a collection of literature and materials in over 115 languages.<ref name="ref1"/> The library contains [[oracle bones|inscribed tortoise shells and bones]], ancient manuscripts, and [[woodblock printing|block-printed]] volumes.<ref name="br2"/>  Among the most prized collections of the National Library of China are rare and precious documents and records from past dynasties in [[History of China|Chinese history]].

The original collection of the Metropolitan Library was assembled from several sources. In 1909 the imperial court gave the library the only surviving complete copy of the ''[[Complete Library of the Four Treasuries]]'' (or ''Siku Quanshu''), an enormous compilation completed in 1782 that had been made in only four copies. That copy had been held at the [[Wenjin Chamber|Wenjin Pavilion]] of the [[Imperial Summer Resort]] in [[Chengde]].{{sfn|Li|2009|p=8}} On orders from the Qing Ministry of Education, the ancient books, archives, and documents of the [[Grand Secretariat]] were also transferred to the new library. So was the collection of the [[Guozijian]] or Imperial University, an institution that had been dismantled in 1905 at the same time as the [[imperial examination system]].{{sfn|Li|2009|p=10}} These imperial collections included books and manuscripts dating to the Southern Song (1127–1279).<ref name="br1">[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/448956/Beijing/232388/Museums-and-libraries#ref=ref794309&tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Beijing%20%3A%3A%20Museums%20and%20libraries%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia National Library of China.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830053234/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/448956/Beijing/232388/Museums-and-libraries#ref=ref794309&tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Beijing%20%3A%3A%20Museums%20and%20libraries%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia |date=30 August 2008 }} [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online.</ref> The content of three private libraries from the Jiangnan area were donated under the supervision of [[Duanfang]], the [[viceroy of Liangjiang]], and the Ministry arranged for the transfer from [[Gansu]] of what remained of the [[Dunhuang manuscripts]]. Finally, the court made great efforts to obtain [[rubbing (art)|rubbing]]s of rare [[epigraphy|inscriptions]] on stone or bronze.{{sfn|Li|2009|p=10}}

===Notable collections and items===
[[File:Zizhi Tongjian by Sima Guang.jpg|thumb|A page from the original draft of ''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]'' (published in 1084) written by [[Sima Guang]]]]
[[File:CMOC Treasures of Ancient China exhibit - fragment of Xiping stone classics.jpg|thumb|A fragment of the Han dynasty [[Xiping Stone Classics]] by [[Cai Yong]] and associated scholars]]
* a collection of over 270,000 ancient and rare Chinese books, and over 1,640,000 traditional thread-bound Chinese books<ref name="ref1"/>
* over 35,000 inscriptions on [[oracle bone]]s and [[turtle shell|tortoise shells]] from the [[Shang dynasty]] (c. 16th–11th century BC)<ref name="ref1"/>
* surviving tablets of the [[Xiping Stone Classics]] created by [[Cai Yong]] (132–192) of the [[Eastern Han dynasty]] (25–220 AD)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3045/|title=The Xiping Stone Classics|publisher=[[World Digital Library]]|access-date=27 July 2012|archive-date=14 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114164943/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3045/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* more than 16,000 volumes of precious historical Chinese [[Dunhuang manuscripts|documents and manuscripts]] from the [[Mogao Caves]] in [[Dunhuang]]<ref name="ref1"/>
* old maps, diagrams, and rubbings from ancient inscriptions on various materials<ref name="br1"/>
* copies of Buddhist [[sutra]]s dating to the 6th century<ref name="br1"/>
* original draft of [[Sima Guang]]'s ''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]''{{sfn|Zhou|Weitz|2002|p=278}}
* books and archives from imperial libraries of the [[Southern Song dynasty]] (1127–1279),<ref name="br2">[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339421/library/62075/Other-national-collections#ref=ref&tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=library%20%3A%3A%20Other%20national%20collections%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia National Libraries.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217124356/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339421/library/62075/Other-national-collections#ref=ref&tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=library%20%3A%3A%20Other%20national%20collections%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia |date=17 December 2008 }}  [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online.</ref> including the works of [[Zhu Xi]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3052/#search_page=1&institution=national-library-of-china&view_type=gallery|title=The Four Books in Chapter and Verse with Collected Commentaries|publisher=[[World Digital Library]]|access-date=27 July 2012|archive-date=14 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714170749/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3052/#search_page=1&institution=national-library-of-china&view_type=gallery|url-status=live}}</ref>
* oldest extant printed edition of the ''[[Huangdi Neijing]]'' (ca. 100 BC), from the [[Jurchen Jin|Jin dynasty]] (1115–1234)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3044/|title=The Su Wen of the Huangdi Neijing (Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor)|publisher=[[World Digital Library]]|access-date=27 July 2012|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501172715/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/3044/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* the most complete surviving [[Ming dynasty]] (1368–1644) copies of the ''[[Yongle Encyclopedia]]'' ("Great Canon of the [[Yongle Emperor|Yongle Era]]")<ref name="br1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/18/china.book/|title=China mega-book gets new life|publisher=CNN|date=18 April 2002|access-date=20 October 2008|archive-date=24 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224102715/http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/18/china.book/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* a copy of the ''[[Complete Library of the Four Treasuries]]'', completed in 1782 under the Qing dynasty<ref name="br1"/>
* essential literary and books collection from the Qing imperial colleges and renowned private collectors<ref name="br2"/>

== Projects and programs ==
The Digital Library Promotion Project was launched in 2011, with the backing of the State Council. The goal of the Digital Library Promotion Project is to connect libraries at all levels, and to make resources and services accessible to more than 3,000 libraries country-wide. In order to allow for a total sharing of digital resources across the country, this project registered and integrated resources in libraries according to the principle of, 'centralized management of metadata, decentralized storage of object data.' By 2013, hardware to support this project had been installed into 30 provincial libraries and 139 prefectural-level libraries, which helped register over 1.5 million metadata in 123 databases, making over 12 terabytes of digital resources available to share. That same year saw a 67 percent increase from the previous year in users accessing the User Management System, with 221,000 visits.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Yongjin |first=Han |date=October 2014 |title=Innovative services in the National Library of China |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0340035214543888 |journal=IFLA Journal |language=en |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=202–205 |doi=10.1177/0340035214543888 |s2cid=110832318 |issn=0340-0352|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The Mobile Reading Platform of the Digital Library Promotion Project was also first put into effect in 2013, and more than 10 provinces began to provide new cell phone and digital television-based media services.<ref name=":0" />

Due to difficulties in preserving ancient texts, the NLC implemented several projects to work towards not only better preserving original materials, but also making copies available for research through [[microphotograph]]y, photocopy and [[digitization]]. The projects implemented to work on these preservation issues are the Chinese Ancient Books Reproduction Project, the Chinese Ancient Books Protection Plan, and the Minguo Materials (1911–1949) Protection Plan, to name just a few.<ref name=":0" />

The Chinese Ancient Books Reproduction Project was started in 2002, and its main goal was to copy and republish selected rare books. In their first phase, nearly 800 works from the [[Song dynasty|Song]] and [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan Dynasty]] were copied, reprinted, and distributed internationally to more than 100 libraries. The Chinese Ancient Books Protection Plan, which began in 2007, and the Minguo Materials (1911–1949) Protection Plan, which began in 2012, both strive to establish an integrated preservation mechanism at the national level.<ref name=":0" />

==Services and facilities==
[[File:NLC Ancient Books Library 6.jpg|thumb|Entrance to the Ancient Books Hall]]
The North and South complexes of the library are located in [[Haidian District]] while the Ancient Books Library is in [[Xicheng District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nlc.cn/newen/cu/|title=Contact Us|publisher=National Library of China|access-date=2020-08-17|quote=Address: National Library of China, #33 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Hai Dian District, Beijing[...]Address: NLC Library of Ancient Books, #7 Wenjin Street, Xi Cheng District, Beijing|archive-date=1 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701164840/http://www.nlc.cn/newen/cu/|url-status=live}} - [http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/lxwm/ Chinese address of main library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524153521/http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/lxwm/ |date=24 May 2020 }}: "北京市 海淀区 中关村南大街33号 国家图书馆" - [http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/lxwm/dsb_gjg/ Chinese address of Ancient Books Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627062514/http://www.nlc.cn/dsb_footer/lxwm/dsb_gjg/ |date=27 June 2020 }}: "北京市西城区文津街7号 国家图书馆古籍馆"</ref>

In 2012, the NLC allocated 11,549 square meters (124,312.4 square feet) to construct the National Museum of Classic Books, which opened in 2014. This museum features rare books and maps, [[Yangshi Lei Archives|Yangshi Lei]] architecture drawings, [[Stone rubbing|stone]] and bronze rubbings, [[Oracle bone script|oracle bones]], and many other unique items.<ref name=":0" />

As of 2022, during what the National Library of China is calling the 'Normalized Epidemic Prevention and Control Period,' the operating hours for the library have not fully returned to pre-pandemic times. The North Complex, the South Complex, and the Children's Library are all open from 9am to 5pm Tuesdays through Sundays, and are closed on Mondays. The Ancient Books Library is open 9am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Visitors wishing to enter the library are asked to make reservations in advance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Library of China - NLC news |url=http://www.nlc.cn/newen/newVisitUs/oghs/ |access-date=2022-06-16 |website=www.nlc.cn |archive-date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405181152/http://www.nlc.cn/newen/newVisitUs/oghs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2013, the Library maintains 14 branch offices, the latest of which is at the [[China Youth University for Political Sciences]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jslib.org.cn/njlib_yjdt/jslib_guonei/201307/t20130704_119883.htm |script-title=zh:国家图书馆团中央分馆在中国青年政治学院揭牌 |author=李宏巧 |date=4 July 2013 |language=zh |access-date=1 July 2014 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105612/http://www.jslib.org.cn/njlib_yjdt/jslib_guonei/201307/t20130704_119883.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Transportation==
The Main Library, located on [[Zhongguancun]] South Road in Beijing's [[Haidian District]], can be accessed by bus or subway.<ref>{{cite web|title=NLC Home&nbsp;– Contact Us|publisher=National Library of China|url=http://www.nlc.gov.cn/newen/cu/|access-date=17 June 2014|archive-date=13 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113233429/http://www.nlc.gov.cn/newen/cu/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Service !! Station/Stop !! Lines/Routes served
|-
| [[Beijing Bus]] || Guojiatushuguan (National Library) || * Regular: 86, 92, 319, 320, 332, 563, 588, 608, 689, 695, 697, 717<br />* Special ([[Double decker bus|double-decker]]): 4, 6 <br />* Yuntong (运通): 105, 106, 205
|-
| [[Beijing Subway]] || [[National Library station|National Library]] || {{rail color box|system=BJS|line=4}}<br />{{rail color box|system=BJS|line=9}}<br />{{rail color box|system=BJS|line=16}}
|}

==See also==
* [[Libraries in the People's Republic of China]]
:*[[Shanghai Library]]
:*[[Nanjing Library]]
* [[List of libraries]]
* [[List of national libraries]]
* [[Chinese Library Classification]] (CLC)
* [[Archives in the People's Republic of China]]
* [[Ningbo Library]]
* [[National first-class library]]

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Works cited ===
* {{citation |last=Bailey |first=Paul J.|year=1990 |title=Reform the People: Changing Attitudes Towards Popular Education in Early Twentieth-Century China|url =  |publisher=Edinburgh University Press|location=Edinburgh |isbn = 0-7486-0218-6 |postscript=.}}
* {{citation |last=Keenan|first=Barry C.|year=1994 |title=Imperial China's Last Classical Academies: Social Change in the Lower Yangzi, 1864–1911 |url = |publisher=Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley |location=Berkeley (CA) |isbn = 1-55729-041-5 |postscript=.}}
* {{citation |last=Li |first=Zhizhong 李致忠 |year=2009 |title=Zhongguo guojia tushuguan guanshi ''中国国家图书馆馆史'' |trans-title=History of the National Library of China |publisher=NLC Press (国家图书馆出版社) |location=Beijing |isbn = 978-7-5013-4070-5|postscript=.|language=zh}}
* {{citation|last=Lin|first=Sharon Chien|year=1983|title=Education for Librarianship in China after the Cultural Revolution|journal=Journal of Education for Librarianship|volume=24|issue=1|pages=17–29|jstor=40322775|postscript=.|others={{subscription required}}|doi=10.2307/40322775}}
* {{citation |last=Lin|first=Sharon Chien|year=1998 |title=Libraries and Librarianship in China |url = |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport (CT) and London |isbn = 0-313-28937-9 |postscript=.}}
* {{citation |last1=Zhou |first1=Mi |last2=Weitz |first2=Ankeney|title=Zhou Mi's Record of Clouds and Mist Passing Before One's Eyes: An Annotated Translation |location=Leiden |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |year=2002 |isbn = 9789004126053 |postscript=. }}

== Further reading ==
* {{citation |last=Cheng|first=Huan Wen|year=1991 |title=The Impact of American Librarianship on Chinese Librarianship in Modern Times (1840–1949) |journal=Libraries & Culture|volume=26|issue=2 |pages=372–87 |jstor = 25542343 |postscript=.|others={{subscription required}}|ref=none}}
* {{citation |last=Fung|first=Margaret C.|year=1984|title=Safekeeping of the National Peiping Library's Rare Chinese Books at the Library of Congress 1941-1965 |journal=The Journal of Library History|volume=19|issue=3|pages=359–72 |jstor = 25541531 |postscript=.|others={{subscription required}}|ref=none}}
* {{cite web |last=Lee |first=Hwa-Wei|date=30 June 1996 |title=American Contributions to Modern Library Development in China: A Historic Review |url = http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~felsing/ala/lee.html |others=Paper presented at the 1st China–United States Library Conference }}
* {{citation |last=Li|first=Guoqing [{{lang|zh-Hans|李国庆}}] |chapter=History of the National Library of China|pages=499–502|editor-last=Stam |editor-first=David H.|title=International Dictionary of Library Histories |location=Chicago|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn |year= 2001 |isbn=1579582443 |postscript=.|ref=none}}
* {{citation|doi=10.2307/40322775|last=Lin|first=Sharon Chien|year=1983|title=Education for Librarianship in China after the Cultural Revolution |journal=Journal of Education for Librarianship|volume=24|issue=1|pages=17–29 |jstor = 40322775 |postscript=. |others={{subscription required}}|ref=none}}
* {{citation |last=Lin|first=Sharon Chien |year=1985|title=Historical Development of Library Education in China|journal=The Journal of Library History|volume=20 |issue=4|pages=368–86 |jstor = 25541653 |postscript=. |others={{subscription required}}|ref=none}}
* {{citation |doi= 10.2307/2158874|last=Prentice|first=Susan|year=1986 |title=The National Library of China – The View from Within|journal=The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs|volume=15 |issue= 15|pages=103–12|jstor=2158874|postscript=.|others={{subscription required}}|s2cid=168486441|ref=none}}
* {{citation |doi= 10.1353/lac.2001.0019|last=Yu|first=Priscilla C.|year=2001 |title=Leaning to One Side: The Impact of the Cold War on Chinese Library Collections |journal=Libraries & Culture|volume=36|issue=1 |pages=253–66 |jstor = 25548906 |postscript=.|others={{subscription required }}|s2cid=142658671|ref=none}}
* {{citation |last1=Yu |first1=Priscilla C.|last2=Davis|first2=Donald G. Jr. |year=1998 |title=Arthur E. Bostwick and Chinese Library Development: A Chapter in International Cooperation|journal=Libraries & Culture|volume=33|issue=4|pages=389–406 |jstor = 25548664|postscript=.|others={{subscription required}}|ref=none}}
* {{cite news |last=Zhu|first=Peter F.|date=13 October 2009|title=Harvard College Library, China Form Pact - Harvard-Yenching Library collection to be digitized|newspaper=[[Harvard Crimson]]|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/10/13/library-collection-chinese-nlc/}}

==External links==
*[http://www.nlc.cn/newen/ Official Website]
*{{Commons category-inline|National Library of China}}

{{Public libraries of China}}
{{Education of the People's Republic of China}}
{{Buildings and Structures in Beijing}}
{{Asia topic|prefix=National Library of | title=[[National library|National libraries]] of Asia}}
{{Haidian District}}
{{Xicheng District}}
{{Portal bar|China}}
{{Authority control}}

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