Chen Ying: The Cultural Strategic Significance of Establishing the Research Center for Sinology Documents at the National Library of China
Chinese Studies refers to research conducted by overseas scholars (including foreign nationals of Chinese descent) who take China as the object of study, interpreting and reflecting upon China through the eyes of the "other." This field encompasses both traditional Sinology [1] and the study of modern China, as well as the tracking and analysis of practical issues in contemporary Chinese politics, diplomacy, economy, society, and ecology. On November 24, 2023, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the World Conference on China Studies·Shanghai Forum, noting that "China Studies is the study of historical China as well as the study of contemporary China." This concise statement defined the connotation and extension of China Studies and carries guiding significance for research in the field.
Research in China Studies has a long history. As early as the 16th century, as missionaries entered China, Europe began to pay attention to ancient Chinese culture and classical texts, giving rise to "Sinological" research. In Japan, the history of traditional Sinology predates that of Europe, tracing back to the Asuka period (7th century); from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, professional Sinology emerged in Japan. After World War II, scholars in Europe and the United States took the history, culture, and society of modern and contemporary China as their primary research objects, broadening the research scope of "China Studies." Since the reform and opening up, countries around the world have paid closer attention to China's economy, society, politics, and culture. The development of China Studies has become increasingly diversified and large-scale, with increasingly rich research outputs.
The attention and research of Chinese scholars toward China Studies began in the late Qing Dynasty [2] and has a history of over a hundred years. Because China Studies literature possesses unique political, cultural, social, and academic value, it has gradually become a characteristic collection of focus for libraries. Since the 1920s, the National Library of China (NLC) has attached great importance to the collection and organization of China Studies literature, accumulating rich specialized resources and research results over the past century. After the reform and opening up, in 1984, the Reference and Research Department of the Beijing Library (now the NLC) began discussing the establishment of a "specialized research office related to China" to "form a relatively authoritative consultation center for China Studies literature." In 1991, the China Studies Literature Research Office was formally established, marking the first research institution in the history of the National Library dedicated to the theme of China Studies. In July 2008, the National Library established the Overseas China Studies Literature Research Center. Its service targets mainly include: national legislative and decision-making bodies and related departments, domestic Chinese scholars and research institutions, and overseas China Studies research institutions and East Asian libraries within university libraries. On September 9, 2009, the reading room of the Overseas China Studies Literature Center held its unveiling ceremony and opened to the public, marking a new chapter for the National Library in the field of China Studies literature research and service. Yan Shaodang, a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, believes that "the center provides a base of primary source texts for researchers, representing a major step forward for domestic China Studies research." With the opening of the reading room, the service targets expanded to the general public. After more than ten years of development, the China Studies Literature Research Center has formed a multi-dimensional business development pattern integrating reading services, consultation services, literature research, website construction, lecture publication, scientific research collaboration, and international exchange.
In the process of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and during the important historical period where "great changes unseen in a century" [3] are accelerating, strengthening the collection, organization, research, and utilization of China Studies literature takes on even more epoch-making significance. On May 17, 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed "supporting and encouraging the establishment of overseas China academic research centers" and "strengthening exchanges between domestic and foreign think tanks to promote overseas China Studies research" at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences. On November 24, 2023, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the World Conference on China Studies·Shanghai Forum, profoundly elucidating the importance of China Studies research. He expressed earnest expectations for "experts and scholars from various countries to be messengers who bridge Chinese and foreign civilizations," and proposed that world China Studies research could "promote exchange and mutual learning between civilizations, injecting ideological and cultural strength into the flourishing garden of world civilizations." This pointed the way for world China Studies research and set clear tasks and goals for the collection, organization, and utilization of China Studies literature in libraries.
Since 2011, the China Studies Literature Research Center has placed greater emphasis on the organization and utilization of research materials concerning overseas "China issues" (中国问题). This reflects a new planning goal for the National Library: transitioning from China Studies based primarily on academic research to "China issues" based primarily on practical research. Looking to the future, the construction of the China Studies Literature Research Center is positioned as "One Repository and Three Centers"—namely, the General Repository of China Studies, the Academic Research Center, the Decision-making Reference Center, and the Cultural Exchange Center. It aims to provide think-tank support for national policy formulation, literature guarantees for China Studies researchers, information services for citizens to understand the world, and a platform for mutual learning in cultural exchange. This will help enhance national cultural soft power and the international influence of Chinese culture, advancing cultural self-confidence and self-improvement and the building of a socialist cultural power.
1. The Strategy of a Cultural Power and the Mission of the Library
Building a strong socialist cultural power is the foundational support for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In October 2020, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee clearly proposed the goal of building a cultural power by 2035. In October 2022, the report to the 20th CPC National Congress listed building a strong socialist cultural power as one of the overall goals of national development, while also proposing to "enhance the reach and influence of Chinese civilization" and "deepen exchange and mutual learning among civilizations to promote Chinese culture to better go global."
The strategy of a cultural power provides the theoretical basis and practical guidance for libraries in the New Era to actively exercise their social functions and break new ground through innovation. As a backbone of national public cultural institutions, libraries should make their due contributions to the building of a socialist cultural power.
(1) Inheriting Chinese civilization and disseminating excellent culture. China has a long history and profound cultural heritage. Building a cultural power is first reflected in carrying forward the past and opening up the future, ensuring that Chinese civilization is inherited in an orderly manner and that excellent culture is continuously developed. As symbols of civilization and cultural hubs, libraries should shoulder the mission of guarding and inheriting Chinese civilization, retelling the historical memory of Chinese culture, and promoting the dissemination of excellent traditional culture. At the same time, they should draw wisdom and strength from excellent traditional Chinese culture to construct, preserve, and pass on the modern civilization of the Chinese nation.
(2) Promoting cultural innovation and stimulating cultural vitality. Under the new historical context, libraries should undertake the mission of supporting socialist cultural construction, fully promoting cultural innovation, stimulating cultural vitality, and driving cultural prosperity. They should provide knowledge support for the development of scientific research and education and information resources for cultural innovation. Libraries should also actively and rationally adopt emerging technological means such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud services to promote the digital transformation and intelligent development of cultural undertakings. They should research and create new technologies, platforms, rules, and models that meet the needs of public culture, scientific research, education, and international communication.
(3) Cultivating cultural self-confidence and promoting core values. "Libraries are important symbols of a country's level of cultural development and are important places for nourishing the spirit of the nation and cultivating cultural self-confidence." Libraries should adhere to the correct political orientation to lead the direction of national cultural development. Leveraging professional library knowledge, they should continuously improve and expand public cultural services to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the people, improve the cultural literacy of the citizenry, and assist in the cultivation of cultural self-confidence for the Chinese nation. In the process of developing cultural undertakings, they should vigorously promote socialist core values and contribute to the building of a socialist cultural power.
(4) Strengthening external exchanges and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. "Civilizations become colorful through exchange and rich through mutual learning." A truly self-confident and strong culture comes from an open and inclusive mindset and from dialogue and mutual learning with world civilizations. Today, as China moves closer to the center of the world stage than ever before, libraries, as windows for external cultural exchange, should shoulder the mission of international communication and exchange for Chinese culture. Based on the excellent cultural achievements of the Chinese nation, they should actively exchange and dialogue with various nations and civilizations of the world, making China's voice heard on the global stage, establishing a true and comprehensive image of China, and helping to enhance national cultural soft power and the influence of Chinese culture.
Libraries are institutions for collecting, organizing, protecting, and inheriting human culture and memory, as well as important windows and platforms for cultural exchange and mutual learning between countries. China Studies literature records the research and perceptions of various countries regarding China’s history, culture, society, and economy; it also serves as important primary source material for China to understand the world. For over a hundred years, the National Library’s collection, organization, research, and utilization of China Studies literature have yielded fruitful results and gained widespread social attention. Looking forward, the China Studies Literature Research Center will continue to develop and deepen around the "One Repository and Three Centers" model, striving to expand the breadth of collection and the depth of research utilization. It will form a characteristic field of Chinese and foreign cultural exchange centered on the theme of China Studies, constructing China Studies for the New Era.
2. Achievements in the Collection, Organization, and Research of China Studies Literature at the National Library
(1) Construction of a relatively complete collection system for China Studies literature. In the 1920s, the National Library of Peiping [4] began to systematically collect China Studies literature, which gradually became a characteristic collection. This was inseparable from the vision and foresight of Director Yuan Tongli. In his 1931 article "The Mission of the National Library of Peiping," he proposed: "We shall collect famous works from ancient and modern times with the utmost effort, and spared no pains in the quest for so-called Orientalist books, for the perusal of those who speak of border defense, statecraft, and those who care for academic pursuits." Under the guidance of this principle, the National Library of Peiping systematically acquired the collections of John Ross, Georges-Auguste Morache, Paul Georg von Möllendorff, Hippisley, and the old Orientalist collection of Santa Maria, building the foundation of today's China Studies literature collection.
In the early years of the People's Republic of China, the Beijing Library obtained China Studies literature through book and periodical exchanges with countries around the world. By the end of 1965, it had established exchange relationships with 3,389 units in 127 countries. During the same period, the Beijing Library accepted the "Beitang" (North Church) collection, which included many important China Studies documents. After the reform and opening up, the National Library revised its acquisition regulations several times to strengthen the acquisition of China Studies literature. The scope of acquisition was no longer limited to traditional printed documents but expanded to include microforms, electronic publications, network resources, and foreign language databases. In the 1990s, China Studies books were systematically supplemented through various channels (acquisition, donation, and exchange). Microfiche supplements included Western Books on China Published Before 1850, comprising 654 titles in 22 categories, covering encyclopedias, bibliographies, geography, travelogues, history, international relations, economic affairs, Chinese society, Chinese philosophy, education, religion, language, literature, art, science, handicrafts, and Hong Kong. Another supplement was China and Christian Missionaries: A Collection of Early Missionary Works in Chinese, including 708 titles in 10 categories published by missionary presses in Guangzhou, Macau, Fuzhou, and Shanghai from the 19th to the early 20th century, covering social sciences, science and technology, physiology and medicine, history and geography, humanities, ritual works, church history, and biography. Significant works such as The Cambridge History of China and Science and Civilisation in China were also supplemented. In 2001, the National Library established professional contact with Kennys Bookshops & Art Galleries Ltd. in Ireland, supplementing a large number of missing China Studies titles. These acquisitions supplemented the deficiencies in Western rare books and ancient Western books in domestic libraries, providing literature guarantees for historians and China Studies researchers.
Through the persistent and unremitting efforts of several generations, the specialized collection of China Studies literature at the National Library has become a radiant treasury of knowledge. As of...
By the end of 2024, the collection of China Studies titles reached over 150,000 volumes. In addition to traditional paper books, more than a thousand titles dating from before the 20th century have been acquired in microfilm format. These documents are themselves vivid historical records, documenting the evolution of perceptions and research on China by scholars from different countries and cultural backgrounds. The languages involved are diverse, numbering over 90; each language carries a unique cultural connotation and mode of thinking regarding research on China. The fields covered have gradually expanded from humanities such as traditional Chinese linguistics, literature, and art to social sciences including politics, economics, and diplomacy, and even to natural sciences such as mathematics, industry, and medicine. This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collection provides a multi-dimensional perspective for our comprehensive and in-depth understanding of China's image and status on the world stage.
Foreign-language periodicals themed on China Studies are also a highlight of the collection, numbering over 200 titles. The earliest periodical can be traced back to the 1822 Journal Asiatique. Among them, more than 130 periodicals have been published continuously since the 19th century, reflecting the latest achievements and profound insights of China research across different eras. These journals are not only long-standing but also maintain excellent continuity and integrity, recording the developmental trajectory of China Studies and providing precious and systematic data for scholars in the field.
The National Library has also purchased six specialized databases focusing on China Studies, covering three archives, one newspaper database, one periodical database, and one historical materials database, all of which have achieved local preservation. The documentary content of these six major databases is available for full-text download, with a time span from the mid-to-late 18th century to the 1980s. The Center has also self-constructed a specialized database for think tank reports and a website for the Overseas Center for Research on China Issues (海外中国问题研究资料中心). The former focuses on aggregating the research outputs of overseas think tanks regarding China, while the latter not only comprehensively reveals literature related to China Studies but also systematically collects information on overseas professional institutions and renowned experts and scholars researching China, achieving an organic integration and unified presentation of institutions, figures, and documents.
Based on these rich and precious collection resources, the National Library has gradually built a China Studies document collection system with diverse types, complete languages, and comprehensive disciplines. It features distinct characteristics such as completeness of collection, diversity of languages, abundance of holdings, continuity of newspapers and periodicals, complementarity of documents, and targeted construction. This collection system is not only an important cornerstone for China Studies research but also a cultural bridge connecting the past, present, and future. It provides a platform for domestic and foreign scholars to conduct comprehensive, in-depth, and systematic research on China, allowing them to draw intellectual nourishment here, spark ideas, and push China Studies research to new heights.
(2) Forming a series of research outcomes with broad influence
For over a century, the organization and research of China Studies documents at the National Library have possessed distinct characteristics. First is the compilation of academic reference tools centered on bibliographies. During the Republican period [5], the National Library of Peiping [6] organized and compiled foreign-language bibliographies related to China research. There were four main types: first, compiling comprehensive China Studies bibliographies in collaboration with other libraries, such as the Union Catalogue of Books on Chinese Issues in Peiping Libraries (1928). Second, compiling the library's own Western-language bibliographies; for example, from January 1930, one volume of the Catalogue of Newly Added Western Books was published every two months, and the Classified Catalogue of Western Books in the Collection and the Classified Catalogue of Western Books on Chinese Issues in the Collection were published in 1935–1936, the latter containing 6,000 titles. Third, compiling specialized bibliographies themed on frontier regions and international relations, such as the Annotated Bibliography of Xinjiang (1936) and Violent Japan’s Invasion of China and International Public Opinion (1938). Fourth, compiling integrated bibliographies of foreign academic papers on China research, as well as survey catalogs of ancient books lost overseas, such as the Essential Bibliography of Oriental History Papers (1933), the Abstract of Chinese Novels Found in Libraries in Tokyo and Dalian, Japan (1932), and the Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Bronzes Overseas (1946). These bibliographies greatly facilitated the inquiries and utilization of the academic community and remain of significant reference value today.
It is necessary to emphasize that Director Yuan Tongli consistently attached importance to the collection and organization of Sinological literature and organized personnel to compile bibliographies of the Sinology collection. An example is the aforementioned Classified Catalogue of Western Books on Chinese Issues in the Collection published in 1935–1936, which included 6,000 books. Yuan Tongli himself also engaged in research on Western Sinological philology and bibliography, compiling a series of Sinological bibliographies. The most influential among them was the China in Western Literature published in 1958, which included 18,000 types of literature related to China research in English, French, and German (with some Portuguese research on Macau) from 1921 to 1957. This book was a continuation of Henri Cordier’s Bibliotheca Sinica. Following China in Western Literature, he compiled several more Sinological bibliographies, including the Bibliography of Chinese Economic and Social Development History (1956), Bibliography of Xinjiang Research: 1886–1962, Bibliography of Modern Chinese Mathematics Research (1918–1960), Bibliography of Dr. Hu Shih's Western Language Works, Bibliography of Chinese Music, Bibliography of Doctoral Dissertations of Chinese Students in the United States (1906–1960), Bibliography of Doctoral Dissertations of Chinese Students in the United Kingdom (1916–1961), Bibliography of Doctoral Dissertations of Chinese Students in Continental Europe (1907–1962), Bibliography of Russian Sinology, 1918–1958, Bibliography of Russian Sinology in American Libraries, 1918–1960, and the Western Bibliography of Chinese Art and Archaeology.
After the founding of New China, the Reference Section of the Beijing Library compiled the Catalogue of Western Books on China in the Collection in 1957, systematically sorting through the library's Western-language books on China research to provide documentary references for utilization and academic study. In the 1950s and 60s, the Beijing Library successively prepared the Catalogue of Western Books on China-Vietnam and China-Korea Borders (with Treaties and Maps) in the Collection and the Catalogue of Japanese Books on China-Soviet and China-Korea Borders in the Collection to serve contemporary political needs. In the early 1980s, the Reference and Research Department of the Beijing Library and the "Office of Foreign China Studies" of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) jointly compiled and published the Index to Bibliographies of Foreign Research on China Issues: 1977–1978, which included important papers and books related to China research found in foreign-language publications. Between the 1980s and 90s, Zhou Xun of the Reference and Research Department of the Beijing Library was responsible for the "Survey of China Studies Document Resources" project and published On Ancient China: A Bibliography of Japanese Literature 1965–1980. Since its establishment, the China Studies Document Research Center has meticulously planned, compiled, and published a series of research outcomes centered on bibliographic tools. The Selected and Annotated Bibliography of Foreign China Studies Works (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015–2020) systematically records overseas China Studies books officially published for the first time each year. The Chinese Bibliography of Overseas China Studies: 1978–2018 (published in 2022) comprehensively covers the research status of Chinese-language China Studies books over the forty years of Reform and Opening-up; Professor Zhang Xiping called it an "authoritative, credible, and useful" catalog. The Yearbook of Overseas China Research · 2021 (published in 2025) is the first achievement in organizing overseas China research in the form of a yearbook. These results provide precise, professional, and personalized support for the academic community, meeting the diverse needs of scholars in thematic research.
Second is the founding of academic book series (academic journals published as books) themed on China Studies. Director Ren Jiyu emphasized the collection, organization, and research of China Studies literature. In 1991, he began planning, and in 1995 he served as Editor-in-Chief for the publication of the academic book series in the field of China Studies—International Sinology (国际汉学). Director Ren Jiyu personally wrote the "Opening Remarks," stating the expectation: "International Sinology will explore the generation, development, and transformation of Chinese culture on a global scale, trace the outward transmission and influence of Chinese culture, and promote exchanges between Chinese culture and world cultures." Under Director Ren Jiyu's guidance, Zhang Xiping was specifically responsible for tasks such as the planning of journal topics and commissioning papers from experts. He proposed that through International Sinology, they should "promote the exchange and integration of Chinese culture with the cultures of all countries, carry forward Chinese culture, and open up new frontiers for Sinological research." The main columns of the first issue of International Sinology included: New Explorations in Literature and History, Sinologist Profiles, Chinese Culture in the World, Dunhuang Studies, History of Sino-Western Cultural Exchange, Religion and Culture, New Archaeological Collections, Recent Reflections, Progress in Sinology, History of the Development of Sinology, Introduction to Sinological Research Institutions, and Book Reviews. With Zhang Xiping's job transfer, the second volume of International Sinology published in 1998 was hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University. Director Ren Jiyu continued to serve as Editor-in-Chief; "he not only reviewed the manuscripts for each volume but also wrote for the magazine," and "was the true soul of International Sinology." In 2007, Director Ren Jiyu proposed that he no longer serve as Editor-in-Chief, with Professor Zhang Xiping taking over. In 2008, Director Ren Jiyu wrote to the Central Propaganda Department [7], suggesting that International Sinology be changed into a formal periodical. In 2014, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the founding of Western Sinology, International Sinology obtained a formal serial number. Through thirty years of fruitful labor and continued cultivation by Professor Zhang Xiping, International Sinology has always upheld its academic original aspiration and has now become an important platform for exchange, communication, and cooperation in the field of international Sinology, as well as an important academic stronghold for domestic and foreign research on international Chinese culture.
Finally, there are other organization and research outcomes. In the 1980s, Wang Lina devoted herself to the history of Western Sinology and organized the Western Sinology bibliographies in the Beijing Library's collection, publishing Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Novels and Dramas Abroad in 1988, providing comprehensive and systematic data for domestic scholars to understand the overseas transmission of classical Chinese fiction and drama. In 2023, the ten-volume Compendium of Research Literature on the Western Translation and Interpretation of Chinese Opera, edited by Liao Linda, was published, representing the inheritance and promotion of the National Library's tradition of research on overseas Chinese opera. In 2025, The National Library and China Studies: 1909–1949, written by Yin Hanchao, will be published, comprehensively explaining the National Library's unique status in the modern Chinese academic system and the development of China Studies.
(3) Relying on think tank empowerment to stimulate the potential of decision-making reference services
Providing documentary information support and protection services for national legislative and decision-making bodies is an important responsibility of the National Library. As early as the period of the National Library of Peiping, "Bibliographies for Major Questions in Response to Government Inquiries" was listed as an important category of document consultation services. In 1933, after the "Nine Islands" Incident [8] occurred, Yuan Tongli provided the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government with the library's collection of the "Recently Printed Map of the Malay Archipelago by the British Ministry of War," accompanied by a letter explaining that the names given to the various small islands on this map "sufficiently prove that the nine coral islands are Chinese territory." This served as historical evidence for maintaining sovereignty over the South China Sea islands, providing strong support for defending national territorial integrity and demonstrating the library's sense of responsibility and mission. In the early days after the founding of New China, to resolve boundary issues left over from history with some neighboring countries and to cooperate with border survey negotiations, the Beijing Library successively compiled a large amount of specialized information, such as the Catalogue of Western Books on China-Vietnam and China-Korea Borders (with Treaties and Maps) in the Collection and the Catalogue of Japanese Books on China-Soviet and China-Korea Borders in the Collection, to serve the needs of maintaining national territory and diplomatic affairs.
As an important business unit of the National Library's Legislative and Decision-making Service Department, the China Studies Document Research Center has always maintained a high degree of sensitivity and professionalism, closely tracking hot trends and frontier dynamics in overseas research on China. In August 2021, the National Library was officially established as one of the first pilot units for think tank construction in the culture and tourism industry, with research on overseas China issues being one of the three key research directions. Based on this, the Center also shoulders the major mission of building a think tank and providing decision-making reference support for research on overseas China issues, particularly focusing on various research reports and insightful commentary articles regarding China released by overseas think tank institutions. Through systematic collection, organization, and classification, the Center has constructed a specialized database of think tank reports, ensuring that these highly valuable research results can achieve long-term preservation, orderly integration, and efficient utilization, providing solid and powerful informational support for legislative and decision-making work. On this basis, the Center has also launched information products such as Internal Reference on overseas Research on China and Dynamics of Overseas Research on China, analyzing various overseas policies, trends, and attitudinal inclinations toward China. These provide valuable reference bases for decision-making bodies; many reports have been adopted by relevant departments, highlighting the Center's value and potential in think tank construction.
(4) Conducting diverse forms of cooperation and exchange to promote mutual learning among civilizations
Sinology research, as a crucial theme in the field of cultural exchange, inherently reflects the deep interaction and mutual influence between different cultures, vividly demonstrating the pattern of diverse symbiosis in world culture.
During the Republican period, the National Library of Peiking was a major academic stronghold for cultural exchange between China and the West. It employed Sinologists such as Paul Pelliot and Berthold Laufer as correspondents and directly promoted the establishment and development of the Sino-German Institute (中德学会). It also played a supporting role in the early collection and organization of documents for East Asian libraries in the United States, as well as the training of Sinologists. In the process of interacting with the Sinological community, the National Library of Peiking continuously optimized its business processes and improved its service quality and efficiency. This attitude of openness and cooperation increased its renown and influence in the international academic community day by day, realizing Director Yuan Tongli’s [9] beautiful vision that "we deeply desire to use this as a post for books between China and the outside world, acting as a medium for cultural communication," thereby becoming an important force in connecting Chinese and foreign cultures and promoting academic progress.
After the founding of New China, as a key national cultural institution, the Beijing Library (now the National Library of China) not only undertook the task of answering inquiries regarding China research from foreign research institutions and scholars but also received a large number of foreign visitors, such as the famous Sinologists Joseph Needham, Boris Riftin, and Romulus Ioan Budura. The visits of these Sinologists not only brought international cutting-edge academic trends and research perspectives to the Beijing Library but also built a bridge for exchange and cooperation between both sides. It is particularly worth mentioning that Director Liu Jiping's visit to the United States in 1973—a landmark event—was the result of a sincere invitation from the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China (CSCPRC). This visit officially raised the curtain on cultural exchange activities between China and the United States. Since then, exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field have become increasingly frequent and deep.
Since its establishment, the Documentation and Research Center for Sinology has formulated a strategy for the academic and international development of Sinology research, dedicating itself to building a platform for cultural exchange on a global scale and pushing Sinology research to new heights. Under the "Belt and Road" Initiative, the Center has fully leveraged its advantages, relying on influential international cooperative organizations such as the Silk Road International Library Alliance and the BRICS Library Alliance to actively expand exchange and cooperation with libraries in neighboring countries and key regions, constructing bilateral and multilateral exchange mechanisms in the field of Sinology. In practical cooperative projects, the Center has joined hands with the Bibliothèque nationale de France to jointly build the "Sino-French Portal" website, providing a convenient and efficient platform for information exchange and resource sharing for scholars from both countries. Through this website, both parties can promptly share the latest results, academic trends, and precious documentary materials of Sinology research, vigorously promoting deep cooperation and exchange between China and France in the academic field. The Center also successfully hosted the "First Academic Seminar on Overseas Sinology Documentation Research and Service," conducting in-depth discussions and exchanges on topics such as research methods, service models, and future development trends of overseas Sinology documentation, providing valuable ideas and references for innovative development in this field. The Center actively sends personnel to participate in important international conferences such as the "World Conference on China Studies," the "World Congress of Sinology," and the "Annual Meeting of the European Association of Sinological Librarians," fully demonstrating the latest achievements of Sinology research and conducting extensive exchanges and cooperation with scholars from all over the world. This series of solid and effective efforts and measures has not only enhanced the influence and reputation of the National Library in the international academic community but also provided solid academic support and rich practical cases for the cultural strategy of Chinese culture "going global," winning more international attention and support.
3. Target Planning and Implementation of "One Repository and Three Centers"
Looking toward the future, the National Library's Documentation and Research Center for Sinology is positioned as "One Repository and Three Centers"—namely, the General Repository of Sinology, the Academic Research Center, the Decision-Making Reference Center, and the Cultural Exchange Center. This aims to comprehensively consolidate the National Library’s central position in the field of Sinology documentation collection, enhance the brand influence of documentary bibliographies, strengthen decision-making information service capabilities, improve the level of document integration, highlight the influence of external exchanges, and optimize the construction of the talent pool.
3.1 General Repository of Sinology
The National Library is committed to building a Sinology library collection system characterized by diverse document types, wide linguistic coverage, and a complete disciplinary system. This system not only provides high-quality thematic documentary resource support for the professional development of Sinology research, helping to construct a knowledge genealogy of Chinese civilization, but also provides convenient and efficient documentary services for both the academic community and the public, promoting the Chinese people's perception and understanding of the image of China in the eyes of the "Other."
At present, there are still some deficiencies in the coverage of Sinology documentary resources at the National Library. For example, the collection of documents from emerging Sinology research regions such as Latin America and Africa is insufficient, resulting in a relative scarcity of research results and materials from these areas in the collection. The collection of certain rare documents remains limited, such as the private manuscripts of overseas Sinologists and early missionary manuscripts; these documents are of great significance for the deep study of the history and development of Sinology, and their absence affects the integrity and systematic nature of the collection. Furthermore, regarding the comprehensive collection of online information related to China, the library faces issues such as technical barriers and geographical restrictions, and has not yet been able to cover dynamic Sinology content globally. Information collection is not comprehensive or timely enough to meet users' needs for real-time and diverse information.
To this end, the National Library should implement comprehensive measures across multiple dimensions to carefully build an all-round, multi-level documentary service system. The specific measures are as follows:
First, precise collection to solidify the foundation of the physical collection. The National Library has actively planned and successively formulated the "14th Five-Year Development Plan for the Documentation and Research Center for Sinology" and the "Development Ideas for Sinology Work During the 15th Five-Year Period." Using these as a critical basis, it has formulated scientifically rigorous and detailed selection standards. Every year, professional forces are organized to conduct comprehensive and in-depth investigations of Sinology documents worldwide. For documents that meet established standards, systematic collection, orderly storage, precise cataloging, and proper preservation are carried out according to standardized processes to ensure that documents are properly settled and effectively managed, laying a solid foundation for the enrichment and improvement of the physical collection.
Second, improving supplementary collections to enhance the effective comprehensive guarantee of documentation. In view of the significant characteristics of Sinology documentation—such as its grand scale, wide range of disciplines, diverse languages, and complex sources—the library should take a long-term perspective and engage in unified planning to formulate detailed and feasible supplementary collection plans. On the one hand, it will continuously optimize the structure of the physical collection, supplementing various scarce documents and frontier research results based on academic trends and changes in user demand. On the other hand, it will vigorously strengthen the construction of virtual collections, making full use of the internet and digital technology to expand access channels and enrich resource types. It is necessary to continuously improve the coordination and complementary mechanism between physical and virtual collections, achieving mutual reinforcement and organic integration of the two, giving full play to their respective strengths, and forming a powerful synergy for documentary resource security. This will comprehensively enhance the overall capacity to safeguard documentary resources and meet the diverse and personalized needs of different user groups.
Third, following trends to advance the intelligent collection of documentary information. In the digital age, Sinology documentation has already exhibited characteristics such as massive volume and diverse carriers, encompassing various forms including books, journals, newspapers, dissertations, maps, microforms, audiovisual resources, electronic publications, and network information, possessing typical big data characteristics. It is essential to keep pace with the trends of the times, fully utilizing the powerful advantages of big data and intelligent technology to advance intelligent documentary information collection. By constructing an intelligent Sinology documentation collection system, the library can achieve automatic crawling, filtering, and integration of massive documentary information, ensuring the completeness and timeliness of information. This will allow for the acquisition of comprehensive and authoritative Sinology resources, providing a feasible route and solution for effectively dealing with complex and diverse documentary resource challenges, and comprehensively improving the quality and efficiency of documentary services.
3.2 Academic Research Center
The National Library closely tracks academic trends, promptly captures the scholarly frontiers of Sinology, carefully organizes academic results, edits and publishes a series of reference books in the field of Sinology, and builds a Sinology website with integrated retrieval to provide the academic community with systematic and authoritative knowledge resources. It undertakes major scientific research projects to solve key problems in the development of Sinology. Through the promotion of these tasks, it aims to drive innovation and development in Chinese research both at home and abroad, fill gaps in the development of Sinology, and inject continuous momentum into Sinology research.
Currently, the Center’s academic research is still in its preliminary stage of development and faces many issues that need urgent resolution. The compilation of the Abstracts of Selected Works of Overseas China Studies and the Yearbook of Overseas China Studies shows obvious time lags; the collection of content has stalled at 2020 and 2021, respectively, failing to meet the urgent needs of the academic community in a timely manner. This may cause scholars to miss the latest research trends, affecting the depth and breadth of their research. Additionally, there is a lack of reference tools providing overviews of Sinology in various countries. When scholars try to understand the development of Sinology abroad, they are like people in an academic labyrinth without a map, often feeling at a loss, which increases the difficulty and cost of research. Furthermore, research in key areas needs to be strengthened; currently, an internationally influential research stronghold for Sinology has not yet been formed, and there is a lack of leading results in major theoretical and academic research, making it difficult to play a role as a model in the international academic community.
To further improve the efficacy of the Academic Research Center and promote the development of Sinology academic research at the National Library, efforts should be strengthened in the following areas:
First, optimizing the compilation process and accelerating the update of reference tools. A compilation team consisting of senior scholars, professional editors, and information technology personnel should be assembled. A global Sinology research information collection platform should be established to crawl the latest research results from various academic databases, journals, and conferences in real-time, followed by classification and storage. Dedicated personnel should be responsible for monitoring international academic trends and promptly collecting and organizing the latest books, papers, and reports on Sinology research, ensuring the compilation team can obtain the latest academic materials at the first opportunity. According to the needs of the academic community and the Center's development goals, a detailed compilation plan should be formulated with clear tasks and timelines for each stage. Regular progress reporting and supervision mechanisms should be established to solve problems in the compilation process promptly, ensuring that work is completed on time and with high quality. The updates of the Abstracts of Selected Works of Overseas China Studies and the Yearbook of Overseas China Studies should be promoted, establishing a long-term mechanism for regular annual releases.
Second, integrating resources and forces to compile overview reference tools. Given that overviews of Sinology in different countries involve multiple disciplines, a cross-disciplinary compilation team should be organized to conduct comprehensive and in-depth investigations into the development of Sinology worldwide. Through consulting documentary materials, visiting academic institutions, and communicating with foreign scholars, information on the history, current situation, main research institutions, scholars, and representative achievements of Sinology in various countries should be collected. At the same time, in-depth analysis and interpretation of the development of Sinology in each country should be conducted to ensure the content of the reference tools is comprehensive, accurate, and profound. On this basis, the Handbook of Sinology by Country series should be formed, allowing readers to easily understand and master the development of Sinology in various countries.
Third, focusing on key areas to enhance international influence. The library should combine international academic frontiers with its research strengths to identify several key research areas—such as the external dissemination of traditional Chinese culture and the characteristics of China-related research by overseas think tanks—and concentrate forces to conduct in-depth research, striving to achieve a batch of research results with international influence. At the same time, a complete mechanism for promoting achievements should be established, using multiple channels and methods. For example, academic result release conferences should be held regularly to introduce the latest research to domestic and foreign media and academia; websites, social media, and other platforms should be used to publish abstracts and highlights of research results to attract more scholars' attention and citations; and outstanding research results should be translated into multiple languages and published in internationally renowned academic journals to expand the international dissemination of research. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the National Library will strive to produce a batch of internationally leading results in key research areas and build an internationally influential Sinology research stronghold.
3.3 Decision-Making Reference Center
Article 22 of the "Public Library Law of the People's Republic of China" explicitly stipulates that the National Library undertakes...
The function of "serving national legislation and decision-making." As a core functional unit of the Legislative and Decision-making Service Department, the Center shoulders the mission of "discerning overseas public opinion and serving national strategy." Its goal is to construct a "trinity" of Chinese-path modernization decision-support systems characterized by strategic leadership, methodological innovation, and result transformation. This involves establishing a dynamic monitoring network for Chinese studies to capture, in real-time, cognitive biases and risk points regarding China's internal and foreign affairs held by international academia, policy circles, and the media. It seeks to break through traditional policy research paradigms by integrating cross-disciplinary methods such as big data analysis, scenario simulation, and behavioral experiments to enhance the scientific rigor and precision of decision-making recommendations. Furthermore, it aims to establish a "research-consulting-evaluation" closed-loop mechanism to ensure that research results can be directly transformed into policy texts, operational guidelines, or evaluation reports.
Currently, the National Library's self-built databases only support basic document storage and retrieval. They lack intelligent analytical functions such as semantic association and trend forecasting, failing to meet the demands of deep research and exhibiting a deficit in "smart" services. The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in scenarios like document classification and hotspot tracking is still in its infancy, characterized by a high proportion of manual intervention and insufficient efficiency and precision. Moreover, overseas research materials are scattered across dozens of languages; the existing translation team's capacity is limited, resulting in a lag in the collection and translation of documents in non-universal languages [13], which in turn affects the comprehensiveness of decision-making references.
To break through existing operational bottlenecks, it is necessary to take technology-driven development as the core. Through the three paths of database architecture upgrades, AI tool innovation, and multi-language capability expansion, the level of intelligent decision-making services will be systematically improved, gradually transforming the Center from a "document storage center" into a "data-driven decision-making think tank."
First, upgrade database architecture to construct a smart knowledge graph. Building upon the current automated collection capabilities of the database, technologies such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), knowledge graphs, and semantic analysis should be introduced to achieve deep correlation and intelligent recommendation of documents. A semantic association engine should be developed to mine latent connections between concepts, authors, and institutions within the literature. Based on machine learning algorithms, dynamic analysis of document keywords and citation frequencies will be conducted to generate maps of evolving research hotspots and reports on future trends.
Second, deepen the utilization of AI tools to promote research process automation. Utilizing intelligent AI tools, a smart classification system should be established by training multi-label classification models to automatically tag document attributes such as theme, discipline, and region, thereby reducing the time-consuming nature of manual classification. AI-assisted review processes should be designed, where machines perform preliminary screening and tagging while humans review key information, ensuring quality while enhancing efficiency. Simultaneously, technologies like sentiment analysis and event extraction should be integrated to monitor China-related topics in international media and academic forums in real-time, automatically generating dynamic public opinion briefings.
Third, expand multi-language capabilities to construct a globalized document network. Deploy Neural Machine Translation (NMT) systems, prioritizing coverage of the United Nations' official languages—English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic—to achieve instant translation of document abstracts. A "human verification–AI learning" feedback loop should be established to continuously optimize translation models. Furthermore, a crowdsourcing system for multi-language translation should be developed to attract foreign language volunteers to participate in the preliminary translation of non-core documents, which will be integrated into the database after expert review.
3.4 Cultural Exchange Center The National Library takes the promotion of exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations as its fundamental mission. Its goals include establishing long-term cooperative relationships with overseas Chinese studies institutions and Sinologists, promoting diverse discussions on Chinese culture among Chinese and foreign scholars, and constructing a global academic network to provide cultural support for building a community with a shared future for humanity. Through document preservation and digitalization, the Center promotes the global sharing of achievements in mutual learning between civilizations, assists Chinese culture in "going global" [14], enhances international understanding and identification with Chinese culture, and serves the national diplomacy and the "Cultural Powerhouse" strategy [15].
The breadth and depth of the National Library's cooperation and resource sharing urgently require breakthroughs. Specifically, exchanges with overseas institutions for Chinese research and collection remain concentrated in regions and countries such as Europe, North America, and Japan, lacking systematic cooperation mechanisms and projects with regions like Africa and Latin America. Global Chinese studies documents are scattered across libraries in various countries, and a unified union catalog has yet to be formed. Scholars must navigate between multiple platforms when searching for relevant literature, consuming significant time and energy, which highlights prominent resource barriers. Many countries face a shortage of Chinese-language cataloging talent, directly impacting the accurate classification and effective dissemination of Chinese books overseas. Meanwhile, the lack of transnational exchange mechanisms makes it difficult for domestic and international experience and technology in the field of Chinese cataloging to be shared, further exacerbating the negative impact of this problem on the overseas dissemination of Chinese books.
In response to these urgent issues, the National Library will take measures to expand its cooperation map, construct a sharing system, and facilitate transnational cultural exchange. It will gradually transition from being a "participant in cultural exchange" to a "leader in global mutual learning between civilizations," contributing Chinese wisdom to the construction of an open and inclusive community of human civilization.
First, expand the cooperation map and deepen regional exchanges. Relying on platforms such as the Silk Road International Library Alliance and the BRICS Library Alliance, the Center will seek to understand the needs and interests regarding China research in regions like Africa and Latin America, formulating cooperation strategies tailored to local conditions. It will build cooperation networks and exchange platforms for China studies to promote information sharing and resource integration. For example, it can establish long-term partnerships with well-known local universities and research institutions to jointly carry out China research projects and hold academic seminars and cultural exchange activities; it can also establish online cooperation forums and academic databases to facilitate exchange and cooperation among scholars from all sides, jointly promoting the global development of China studies.
Second, break down resource barriers and construct a sharing system. Jointly with libraries and relevant institutions worldwide, the Center will formulate construction standards and norms for a global union catalog of Chinese studies literature. Through digital technological means, it will integrate the document resources of libraries in various countries and establish a unified retrieval platform to achieve one-stop searching. This will promote the open sharing of digital resources, breaking the restrictions of geography and institutions, and allowing more scholars to access required document resources conveniently and quickly. Simultaneously, an international document resource circulation and interlibrary loan mechanism will be established to achieve the rapid flow and sharing of Chinese studies literature resources, meeting the research needs of scholars.
Third, strengthen talent cultivation and promote transnational exchange. Efforts should be increased to train Chinese-language cataloging talent. The Center should actively engage in transnational exchange and cooperation in the field of Chinese cataloging with foreign libraries and relevant institutions, formulating comprehensive talent training plans and curricula. Through personnel exchanges, joint training, and academic dialogues, it will promote the exchange of experience and technology in Chinese cataloging between China and abroad. Additionally, a global talent pool for Chinese cataloging should be established to collect and organize information on cataloging professionals worldwide, providing talent support and guarantees for libraries and institutions, and promoting the rational flow and optimized allocation of Chinese cataloging talent on a global scale.
4 Conclusion Libraries are an important driving force in building a "Cultural Powerhouse," playing a proactive role in promoting Chinese culture's global reach and drawing upon the achievements of Chinese studies to provide feedback for decision-making. Guided by the "Cultural Powerhouse" strategy, the Chinese Studies Document Research Center established by the National Library has already achieved significant success in cultivating Chinese studies document resources. Facing the wave of digital technological innovation, the National Library is striving to construct a new, smart development model to fully fulfill its strategic mission in the "Cultural Powerhouse" strategy. It aims to build the Chinese Studies Document Research Center into the general repository of Chinese studies, an academic research center for the field, a reference center for national legislation and decision-making, and a cultural exchange center for mutual learning between civilizations. This will turn it into an important window for the state and the citizens to understand global trends and information, and a powerful force for promoting cultural development.
The Chinese Studies Document Research Center of the National Library belongs to China and to the world; it is destined to become the cornerstone of Chinese culture's global journey and a cultural temple to which Chinese studies scholars around the world aspire.
Source: Journal of Library Science in China, 2025, 51 (04)