An expert repairs ancient Chinese text Photo: IC

Some rare Chinese texts missing from the Chinese mainland have been republished recently,MKS sports marking the latest cooperation with foreign institutions in the research and preservation of ancient Chinese books. 

The new publications include the Illustrated Catalog of Rare Chinese Books from the E. Chavannes Collection of the Asian Society, the first officially published outcome of a China-France cooperative project celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France. It offers new materials and perspectives on documents utilized by European sinologists in their East Asian studies during the early 20th century, and helps to foster future China-France academic exchanges.

The Global Integration of Chinese Ancient Books project is committed to identifying and gathering all ancient Chinese literature scattered abroad, with the aim to reproduce, publish, organize, and study these texts that are absent from China.

"The project has conducted extensive research of 1,988 libraries across 95 countries and regions, collaborating with both domestic and international institutions. This has illuminated the status of roughly 1.35 million ancient Chinese texts held overseas," Professor Shan Chengbin, head of the project's cataloging team, told the Global Times.

The project was by the International Sinological Research Center of Shandong University in East China's Shandong Province in 2017. 

The project is designed to enhance the system for preserving ancient Chinese literature and to provide essential literary resources for cultural development, international cultural exchanges, and research data for scholars specializing in Chinese studies globally.

Zheng Jiewen, leading researcher of the project, told the Global Times that international cooperation is essential for the project's advancement, as it provides foreign experts and scholars access to universities, libraries, and other research facilities for thorough reviews.

Currently, the university has signed cooperation agreements with more than 100 libraries or collection institutions worldwide.

Zhu Jieren, an expert in Chinese classical literature, told the Wenhui Daily that these publications enable rare overseas Chinese texts to "return" in published form, filling historical gaps, improving the preservation system of ancient Chinese literature, and advancing the depth of research into and compilation of ancient texts.

Ancient texts are crucial carriers of China's traditional culture. Due to various reasons, a large number of Chinese ancient texts have been scattered overseas, stored in collections around the world, including unique editions or varieties that are absent from the Chinese mainland. Investigating, organizing, and researching these Chinese texts has significant implications.

According to statistics, over 110,000 varieties of ancient Chinese books are scattered across the world. Most of these have not been digitized, significantly limiting their distribution, usage, and research. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive survey and detailed organization of these overseas Chinese book collections.

Among the newly published works, four types have been cataloged for the first time as unique preserved copies. For instance, the Mencius Collection, housed in the National Archives of Japan and currently the only complete version available worldwide, has been collated for the first time. 

Another book features the strategies of the Warring States (475BC-221BC) has only two known copies, with one in the Harvard-Yenching Library at Harvard University and the other at the National Diet Library of Japan. 

The authors are reporters with the Global Times. [email protected]