Rare Book Department

  With a history of about 90 years, Rare Book Department is responsible for the management of rare books in the National Library of China. Under the department, there are Rare Book Section, Map Section, Inscription Section, Section of Publication in the Languages of Ethnic Minorities, Center for Dunhuang and Turpan Materials, Reader Services Section, Preservation and Conservation Section, and NLC Rare Book Restoration Center.
  In the main collections of the Rare Book Department, there are 270,000 volumes of ancient rare books, including 1,600 volumes of the Song and Yuan dynasties, most of which are the only existing copies or rare copies. Besides, there are 12,000 volumes of new rare books, manuscripts of notable authors, and 25,000 volumes of rare books in foreign languages, 268,000 items of rubbings, which are worldwide famous for its number, quality and variety. It has also the largest collection of Dunhuang and Turpan materials.
  In the Display Room of Treasured Collections, readers can see the brilliant ancient Chinese civilization through the exhibits of various treasures collected in the library.

E-mail: sbtcb@publicf.nlc.gov.cn