History of Books in Ancient China

Chen Li, male, born in 1958 in Zizhong, Sichuan Province, is a well-known expert in Library science, philology and history. He is the executive vice-librarian and research librarian of the National Library of China. He enjoys the special allowance of the State Council. He was admitted to the Department of History, Sichuan University in February 1978. Since 1982, he has studied Pre-Qin history from Mr. Xu Zhongshu. In 1985 and 1988, he received master's and doctor's degrees in history. From April 1988 to January 2001, he worked in the library of Sichuan University, engaged in reading service, cataloguing and collecting ancient books. He served as Deputy Director of Sichuan University Library in 1995, Director of Sichuan University Library in 1996, and Deputy Director of China National Library in February 2001. He is also a doctoral supervisor of the School of Information Management, Nanjing University, vice chairman of the Chinese Library Society, and a member of the 4th National Leading Group on Ancient Books Collection and Publishing Planning.

• Chapter 1. From Characters to Books: Shang and Zhou Dynasties.- Chapter 2. From “Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought” to “Burn Books and Bury Alive Confucian Scholars”: Warring States to Qin Dynasty.- Chapter 3. A Time of Cultural Diversity: Han, Wei and the Northern and Southern Dynasties.- Chapter 4. Imperial Examination, Schools and Woodblock Printing: Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties.- Chapter 5. The Golden Age of Books in Print: Song Dynasty.- Chapter 6. Confliction and Fusion: Liao, Jin, Xia and Yuan Dynasties.- Chapter 7. Book Industry in the Period of Great Prosperity: Early Ming to Mid-Qing Dynasty.- Chapter 8. Book Industry in Social Change: From Late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China.