By the end of last year, China's National Library had about 24 million volumes and ranking fifth in terms of quantity in the world. The library's collection has been expanding by about 600,000 every year.
The National Library of China is a comprehensive research library, serving the central legislature, government, key research institutions, academies, education, business and the general public. Financial grants for buying books have increased and last year more than 100 million yuan or some US$12.5 million was spent. This lets the library buy a lot of foreign books on natural and social sciences.
The earliest books, some scripted turtle shells and animal bones, can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago. The library has not only the largest collection of Chinese books in the world, but also the biggest collection of materials in 115 foreign languages in the country, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the library's collection.
Approved by the State Development Planning Commission, the library's expansion project has started. By 2008, it will be 250,000 square meters in total floor space, making it the third largest library in the world. The largest is the US Library of Congress in Washington DC.
(CCTV.com January 22, 2003)
