Despite books could not expect to be immune from the results of constant turmoil and wars during the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty, Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was gradually borne in on the rulers that the significance and value of collecting books. Once wars finished, book collection would resume. By then, the main collector was still the archival bureau. During the Sui Dynasty, two emperors once ordered the extensive collection had 50 copies for each sort and the copies were sheltered in the Guanwendian in the capital of Luoyang. Another location with a high concentration of books was Chang’an, where 370,000 rolls of books were deposited in Jiazedian.
By the Tang Dynasty, management of books was quite developed and libraries also took up functions of editing and proofreading. Most books were collected in the archival bureau and managed by the director of the archival bureau. In addition, there were Hongwenguan, Shiguan, Jixianguan (collectively called Sanguan) as well as Chongwenyuan, Sijingyuan and Hanlinyuan, which were independent but closely related to each other. For example, the major function of Hongwenguan was to collect and proofread books; Shiguan was responsible for book writing and collection set up in the Zhenguan period; Jixianyuan was the largest state library in the middle term of the Tang Dynasty and also the most complete with a collection exceeding any other. Chongwenyuan was a school set up for princes in the Zhenguan period, but also functioned in terms of book collection, proofreading and transcription; Sijingju, specially providing service for princes, was an organization in charge of book affairs in the East Palace; Hanlinyuan was a consulting organization to draft emperor’s ordinances, so book collection was meant to assist this function. This system of collection had far-reaching influence on following generations. During this dynasty, the number of private collectors was larger than the sum of previous generations.
The spread of wood block printing promoted the development of official and private book collections during the Song and Yuan dynasties. During the Song, the national collection agencies were Shiguan, Zhaowenguan and Jixianyuan and later Chongwenguan which was built on the collection efforts from the three earlier agencies. In addition, there were other agencies like Mige, Taiqinglou and Liuge. Among them, Mige housed some 10,000 volumes selected from the three agencies, which represent the essence of the national library. College and private collections were well developed during the Song Dynasty, the well-known bibliophiles, as Ye Mengde (1077–1148), Chao Gongwu (1105–1180), Zheng Qiao (1104–1162), Chen Zhensun (about 1183–1262) and others, each had collections with more than 10,000 volumes. In addition, the preparation of private collection directories also witnessed a series of breakthroughs, which made private collections more academic. During the Yuan Dynasty, the archival bureau was set in charge of book affairs and the specialized agencies in charge of printing under the supervision of the archival bureau. State collection during the Yuan Dynasty inherited features from the Southern Song, putting equal emphasis on both manuscripts and printed versions.
Academic and cultural prosperity during the Ming Dynasty combined with more developments in printing helped official and private collections prosper beyond those of previous generations. During the Ming Dynasty, the national collection agency was Wenyuange. The independent specialized state agency of book supervision was the archival bureau, later replaced by the Hanlinyuan. In addition, in 1534, the Ming Dynasty built an archive warehouse for imperial files and works called Huangshicheng. This was the most complete existing imperial library complex. During this period, private collection was very popular and the size of libraries was also expanded. Most collectors were to be found in the economic and cultural prosperous south-east. One of the most prestigious private libraries was the Tianyi Pavilion of the Fans in Ningbo, Jiguge of the Mao?s in Changshu and Danshengtang of the Qi?s in Shanyin. Built in 1561, during the Ming Dynasty, Tianyige housed 70,000 volumes and survives to this day. It is the earliest private library still in existence in China.
Most state collections during the Qing Dynasty were housed in the inner court, in Huangshicheng, Zhaorendian, Wuyingdian, Chizaotang, Yangxindian, Nanxundian, Ziguangge and Nanshufang. The seven copies of Siku Quanshu compiled during Qianlong’s reign were deposited in seven different places. The three in the south were open to learners, which made them function like public libraries.
Of the 1,175 collectors recorded by scholar Ye ChangChi (1849–1931) in his Poems about Collecting Books, 497 were from the Qing Dynasty. During the middle of the Qing Dynasty, four famous libraries emerged: Haiyuange by Yang Yizeng in Liaocheng, Iron Qin Bronze Sword Tower by Qu Shaoji in Changshu, Bisonglou by Lu Xinyuan in Gui’an and 8,000-Roll Tower by Ding Shen and Ding Bing in Hangzhou. The four libraries possessed many precious books from the Song and Yuan dynasties. Even after the damage from wars and fire, Haiyuange still had over 219,000 volumes.
In the early twentieth century, with the introduction of modern libraries from the west, the traditional Chinese libraries gradually went downhill. Some opened their doors to the public, transforming themselves into modern libraries and ending the ancient Chinese tradition of private library undertakings.
Effective Ways to Protect Books