Chinese collections | Cambridge University Library
Source: https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/departments/chinese-collections
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:10
Chinese collections | Cambridge University Library
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Chinese collections
Cambridge University Library
Collections
All collections & departments
Chinese collections
Chinese Collections' Spotlight
Chinese digital collections at Cambridge Digital Library
Contact information of Chinese Section
Guide to the Chinese collections
Chinese Collections - 中文特藏与专藏
Chinese collection catalogues
Chinese Studies E-resources 电子数据资源
Visitors
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives
Bible Society's library
Collections and Academic Liaison
Conservation
Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory
Darwin Correspondence Project
East Asian Reading Room
French collections
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Periodicals
Rare Books
Reading Room
Royal Commonwealth Society
Slavonic collections
South Asian, Tibetan and Southeast Asian Department
Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit
Please use the links at the left to navigate these web pages, which contain full details about the Chinese collections of Cambridge University Library, their catalogues and how to use them, as well as general Chinese bibliographical information and links to other relevant sites.
The oldest items in the Library are Chinese inscribed oracle bones dating from the 13th century BC (
right
), and the oldest printed book is a Chinese Buddhist sutra dated 1107.
The Chinese collections comprise about half a million titles (including bound serials) which contain over 150,000 monograph titles and over 250,000 individual titles of other (reprinted) materials such as manuscripts from Dunhuang, Huizhou, etc., archival documents and epigraphical rubbings. Over 300,000 titles are included in more than 2,000
丛书 cong shu
.
About 3,000 Chinese printed serial titles and 3,500 Chinese microfilm reels are held in Cambridge libraries.
In addition physical collections, Chinese studies related
E-resources
have growing rapidly since 2022.
Cambridge Digital Library
contains freely available digital collections on Chinese studies including a selection of noteworthy
Chinese works
.
Any questions about Chinese collections at Cambridge University Library, please feel free to contact
chinese@lib.cam.ac.uk
, or visit us at Chinese Section's Office in the East Asian Reading Room (First Floor, Aoi Pavilion at the University Library).
Highlights from our collections:
Chinese Special or Specialized Collections - 中文特藏与专藏
Chinese Studies E-resources 电子数据资源
Free Digital Collections on Chinese Studies via Cambridge Digital Library 数字图书馆
Chinese Collections' Spotlight
Contact US - Chinese Section
Dr Yan He
Head of Chinese Section
Ms. Elena Fulgheri
Senior Library Assistant
Mrs Qingbai Wan
Library Assistant
Chinese Section
Cambridge University Library
West Road
Cambridge
CB3 9DR
chinese@lib.cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1223 333038
Opening hours
Monday to Thursday
9am to 6:50pm (staffed 9am to 5:10pm)
Friday
9am to 6:50pm (staffed 9am to 16:50pm)
Saturday
9am to 4:30pm (not staffed)
No fetching or transfers 12.30pm to 2pm, after 4:45pm (4:30pm Friday), and all day Saturday. Readers wishing to consult non-borrowable items on Saturdays, please order by 3pm on Friday, for transfer to the Manuscripts Reading Room for consultation.
Contact us
Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, UK
Email:
library@lib.cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 333000
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skip to content
Study at Cambridge
About the University
Research at Cambridge
Search site
Home
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Undergraduate courses
Applying
Events and open days
Fees and finance
Postgraduate
Postgraduate courses
How to apply
Postgraduate events
Fees and funding
International
students
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the
University and Colleges work
Term dates and calendars
History
Map
Visiting the University
Annual reports
Equality and diversity
News
A global university
Events
Public engagement
Jobs
Give to Cambridge
Research at Cambridge
For staff
For Cambridge students
For alumni
For our researchers
Business and enterprise
Colleges & departments
Email & phone search
Give to Cambridge
Libraries
Museums & collections
Home
Collections
All collections & departments
Cambridge University Library
Home
Using the Library
Using the Library overview
Your library membership
Your library membership overview
Online resources and services
Remote services
Remote services overview
Visit the University Library
Visit the University Library overview
Library service updates
Accessibility and disabled library users
Accessibility and disabled library users overview
Research
Research overview
University Library Research Institute
University Library Research Institute overview
Digital Preservation
Digital Preservation overview
Digital Humanities
Digital Humanities overview
Open Research
Research Data management
Futurelib Innovation Programme
Futurelib Innovation Programme overview
Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning overview
Information Literacy Teaching at Cambridge
What's On
What's On overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
Events
Events overview
The Really Popular Book Club
Google Arts and Culture
Search and Find
Search and Find overview
LibGuides - Subject guides
eResources and eJournals
iDiscover
ArchiveSearch
Reference Management
Other catalogues
Collections
Collections overview
Special Collections
Special Collections overview
All collections & departments
All collections & departments overview
Recommend an item for our collection
Recommend an item for our collection overview
Exhibitions
Exhibitions overview
About
About overview
Governance
Governance overview
History of the Library
History of the Library overview
Statement of Collecting Policy
Prizes and Fellowships
Prizes and Fellowships overview
Library Storage Facility
Press and media
Support Us
Support Us overview
Ways to support us
Contact
Chinese collections
Cambridge University Library
Collections
All collections & departments
Chinese collections
Chinese Collections' Spotlight
Chinese digital collections at Cambridge Digital Library
Contact information of Chinese Section
Guide to the Chinese collections
Chinese Collections - 中文特藏与专藏
Chinese collection catalogues
Chinese Studies E-resources 电子数据资源
Visitors
Archives, Modern and Medieval Manuscripts and University Archives
Bible Society's library
Collections and Academic Liaison
Conservation
Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory
Darwin Correspondence Project
East Asian Reading Room
French collections
Germanic collections
Inter-Library Loans
Italian collections
Japanese collections
Korean collections
Latin American & Iberian Collections
Legal Deposit
Maps
Modern Greek collections
Music
Near and Middle Eastern Department
Official Publications
Open Research
Papyrus Collections
Periodicals
Rare Books
Reading Room
Royal Commonwealth Society
Slavonic collections
South Asian, Tibetan and Southeast Asian Department
Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit
Please use the links at the left to navigate these web pages, which contain full details about the Chinese collections of Cambridge University Library, their catalogues and how to use them, as well as general Chinese bibliographical information and links to other relevant sites.
The oldest items in the Library are Chinese inscribed oracle bones dating from the 13th century BC (
right
), and the oldest printed book is a Chinese Buddhist sutra dated 1107.
The Chinese collections comprise about half a million titles (including bound serials) which contain over 150,000 monograph titles and over 250,000 individual titles of other (reprinted) materials such as manuscripts from Dunhuang, Huizhou, etc., archival documents and epigraphical rubbings. Over 300,000 titles are included in more than 2,000
丛书 cong shu
.
About 3,000 Chinese printed serial titles and 3,500 Chinese microfilm reels are held in Cambridge libraries.
In addition physical collections, Chinese studies related
E-resources
have growing rapidly since 2022.
Cambridge Digital Library
contains freely available digital collections on Chinese studies including a selection of noteworthy
Chinese works
.
Any questions about Chinese collections at Cambridge University Library, please feel free to contact
chinese@lib.cam.ac.uk
, or visit us at Chinese Section's Office in the East Asian Reading Room (First Floor, Aoi Pavilion at the University Library).
Highlights from our collections:
Chinese Special or Specialized Collections - 中文特藏与专藏
Chinese Studies E-resources 电子数据资源
Free Digital Collections on Chinese Studies via Cambridge Digital Library 数字图书馆
Chinese Collections' Spotlight
Contact US - Chinese Section
Dr Yan He
Head of Chinese Section
Ms. Elena Fulgheri
Senior Library Assistant
Mrs Qingbai Wan
Library Assistant
Chinese Section
Cambridge University Library
West Road
Cambridge
CB3 9DR
chinese@lib.cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1223 333038
Opening hours
Monday to Thursday
9am to 6:50pm (staffed 9am to 5:10pm)
Friday
9am to 6:50pm (staffed 9am to 16:50pm)
Saturday
9am to 4:30pm (not staffed)
No fetching or transfers 12.30pm to 2pm, after 4:45pm (4:30pm Friday), and all day Saturday. Readers wishing to consult non-borrowable items on Saturdays, please order by 3pm on Friday, for transfer to the Manuscripts Reading Room for consultation.
Contact us
Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR, UK
Email:
library@lib.cam.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 333000
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Privacy and Cookie Policy
Social Media
Library blogs
YouTube
Join us
Job opportunities
© 2026 University of Cambridge
Contact the University
Accessibility
Freedom of information
Privacy policy and cookies
Statement on Modern Slavery
Terms and conditions
University A-Z
Study at Cambridge
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
Continuing education
Executive and professional education
Courses in education
About the University
How the University
and Colleges work
Give to Cambridge
Jobs
Map
Visiting the University
Research at Cambridge
Research news
About research at Cambridge
Public engagement
Spotlight on...