The National Central Library houses a rich collection of national documents and resources for Chinese studies, including ancient texts from throughout history and scholarly works. To promote Chinese studies, the Center for Chinese Studies (CCS) was established in 1981. The Center is dedicated to expanding the collection of information resources for Chinese studies and encouraging overseas scholars of Sinology to conduct research in Taiwan.
Building on the National Central Library’s extensive collection, the Center continues to acquire academic books, periodicals, and electronic resources on Sinology published in mainland China and abroad. It focuses its collection development on local annals and historical and literary materials and has established the “Center for Chinese Studies Reading Room” and the “Matteo Ricci & Pacific Studies Reading Room” on the sixth floor of the library to provide on-site access to materials and reference services.
Center for Chinese Studies Reading Room
The Center provides the Chinese and foreign publications and electronic resources necessary for Chinese Studies, including academic books, journals, and electronic resources on Sinology published in mainland China and abroad; facsimiles of ancient texts preserved overseas; and newly compiled local gazetteers from mainland China. In addition to purchasing these materials, we also obtain them through book exchange programs with academic institutions in mainland China.
Features of the Collection
☆Chinese Studies Publications from Mainland China
The collection of Chinese Studies publications from mainland China focuses on literature, history, philosophy, social sciences, arts, archaeology, local historical and cultural materials, local gazetteers, and various yearbooks. These types of materials include books, periodicals, theses, and newspapers. To facilitate readers’ access to the Center’s collection of journals and serialized articles published in mainland China, the “NCL Taiwan Periodical Literature” has established the “Index of Mainland Chinese Journals and Articles in the Center for Chinese Studies Collection,” which primarily covers items not included in the CNKI.
☆Photo Reprints of Rare Books in Overseas Libraries
The Center strives to acquire original editions or photo-reproductions of rare Chinese works in foreign collections. Our current collection includes 960 reproductions of ancient texts acquired from collections at Japan's Naikaku Bunko, the Harvard Yenching Library and other institutions and includes Confucian classics, Ming dynasty government documents and memorials to emperors, Ming and Ch'ing dynasty gazetteers, and Ming literary collections.
☆Newly-revised Gazetteers from Mainland China
The Center has acquired more than 20,000 county and provincial gazetteers from mainland China, making it one of the most complete collections of Chinese gazetteers in Taiwan.
☆Electronic Resources
Subject Databases Integrated Search System, which includes article titles and full-text articles from the journals Chinese Studies and Newsletter for Research in Chinese Studies, as well as titles and full-text articles from monographs and series; indexes of Chinese studies bibliography series (including works on classical studies, studies on the philosophers of the Han dynasty, studies on Wei-Jin metaphysics, and studies on Dunhuang studies); and a consolidated contents of the combines collection of Ming authors.
NCL Electronic Resource Search System, CNKI Reference Books Online Collection (5 thematic series), DDC International Theses and Dissertations Full-Text Database, CNKI China National Knowledge Infrastructure — Taiwan Site: Full-text journals, full-text theses and dissertations, Wen Yuan Ge Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) electronic edition, Yongle Beicang (Northern Canon of the Yongle Era) electronic edition, “Taiwan Literature Series,” etc.
Digital Resources for International Chinese studies, bring together representative online resources on Chinese studies that have been formally published both domestically and internationally, with a focus on those maintained by non-profit organizations. The resources are broadly categorized into tool resources, classical texts, philosophy, religion, science and technology, social and cultural studies, history and geography, genealogy and biographies, archaeology and artifacts, language and script, literature, and art. The collection provides website names, URLs, and brief descriptions of the content.
Matteo Ricci & Pacific Studies Reading Room
The “Matteo Ricci & Pacific Research Studies Reading Room” was established in 2010 to house over 10,000 volumes permanently deposited at the library from the Matteo Ricci Society’s collection, as well as publications on international Sinology and materials donated by scholars in the field.
Features of the Collection
☆Taipei Ricci Institute Collection
Named after the famous Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), the Ricci Institute is dedicated to research in diverse cultural fields such as international Sinology, comparative religion, and linguistics. It has compiled and published Le Grand RICCI (The Ricci Chinese-French Dictionary) and founded the Monthly Journal of Humanistic Discourse. During the process of compiling its dictionary, it amassed a considerable number of books in Chinese, English, and French, particularly relating to linguistics, philosophy, and the social sciences.
☆International Chinese Studies collection
Besides housing the Ricci Institute's books and periodicals, there are also those relating to the Society of Jesus, Matteo Ricci, East-West cultural exchange, and international Chinese studies. Additionally, a future direction for development of this reading room will be to build up a collection relating to the field of Pacific Studies.
☆Doctoral Dissertations in Western Languages
In addition to the collection of printed doctoral dissertations from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan, and South Korea, readers can access doctoral and master’s theses in the field of Chinese studies from the U.S. and Canada acquired by the Center through the “Digital Dissertation Consortium.”
Reader Services
The Center for Chinese Studies Reading Room and the Matteo Ricci Pacific Reading Room, located on the sixth floor of the library, provide access to collections and offer reference inquires.
☆Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm
The library is closed on Mondays and national holidays
☆Reading Services
Books and periodicals on open-stacks may be taken directly from the shelves by readers; for items held in closed-stacks, the reference desk provides a book retrieval and return service.
We organize new book announcements and themed book displays.
☆Reference Services
Provides information retrieval and library instruction.
Provides recommendations for international digital resources in Chinese Studies
☆Reservation of Chinese Studies research carrels
Provides eight reservable Chinese Studies research carrels for use by visiting scholars supported by the Center.
