China, as one of the five ancient civilisations in the world, has an uninterrupted history of over 5,000 years. It has created a brilliant human civilisation, formed numerous ethnic cultures, and passed down numerous ancient books. As carriers of Chinese civilisation and integral parts of Chinese culture, many of these ancient books have been preserved and collected by central and local public libraries across China.

In recent years, China has placed great importance on the digitisation of ancient books and is using advanced technology to accelerate the construction of a smart library system. This has become an important part of the national “14th Five Year Plan”, with increased funding from both central and local governments to support it. In April 2022, China issued the “Opinions on Promoting the Work of Ancient Books in the New Era”, which called for advancing the digitisation of ancient books. As the authoritative center for protecting ancient books, the National Library of China has published the “National Smart Library System Construction: Handbook of Digitisation and Knowledge Indexing Standards for Ancient Books (Provisional)”, providing professional guidance for the digitisation of ancient books. In 2024, some local libraries, such as the Capital Library, Tianjin Library, Shaanxi Library, and Henan Library, have issued public tenders to hire contractors for the digital sorting and processing of ancient books. The digitising of ancient books involves capturing digital images of the book contents and building a website for browsing these ancient books. Additionally, some provinces offer training programmes to improve the digital skills and literacy of public library staff.

Yin Ruins Oracle Bone Script Database (Source:https://www.ancientbooks.cn/)

Advanced digital technology has enabled Chinese ancient books to be read on screens and online. Some digital versions closely simulate the experience of reading physical books, enhancing the reading experience. Digitization has also expanded reading functions by adding features such as adding ancient and modern comparisons, annotations, translations, and knowledge indexing, which supports the future systematisation and intelligent use of knowledge.

The digitisation of Chinese ancient books has brought about many conveniences. It reduces the natural deterioration of paper ancient books, aids long-term preservation, and makes ancient books more accessible. It allows for online browsing and remote access for both domestic and foreign readers and researchers, expanding the reach of ancient book services to a bigger pool of users. Digitisation has also promoted the research and development of Chinese ancient books, fostering the growth and spread of knowledge about Chinese civilisation and improving the exchange of world cultures.

China has a history spanning thousands of years and has preserved a vast collection of ancient books —about 200,000 types and over 50 million volumes (pieces). Many others have been lost overseas in countries such as Japan, South Korea, the United States, and so on. Although information technology has accelerated the digitization process of Chinese ancient books, of the sheer volume of ancient books still requires extensive coordination with both domestic and international sources, as well as leveraging technological advancements and innovation.

Contributed by Han Shuai, Associate Research Librarian of Renmin University Library of China and Du Yan Ru, Zhonghua Book Company