Chinese libraries release digital copies of antique books

The National Library of China (NLC), in collaboration with nine other libraries across the country, has made over 1,700 sets of ancient books available digitally, in a bid to preserve the books and make them more accessible to the public.

The newly uploaded resources, including copies of ancient books in the Tibetan language and those on traditional Chinese medicine, have increased the total number of digitalized ancient books to 74,000, the NLC said in a statement on Wednesday.

Featuring diverse languages and themes and dating back to various dynasties, the resources include manuscripts, documents, studies and more.

The Beijing-based NLC has led the building of a database dedicated to digitalized ancient books. Since its launch in 2016, more than 33,000 sets of ancient books, accounting for over two thirds of the library's total collection of antique books which are in a relatively good state, have been made available.

A registration database has also been set up to better protect antique books, with information of nearly 8 million ancient books uploaded to the platform.