[11][12] The earliest Chinese references to Western-style public libraries were by Lin Zexu in the Sizhou Zhi (四洲志; 1839) and Wei Yuan in the Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms (first ed., 1843), both of which were translations from Western books.

Several members of the first Chinese diplomatic mission, which sailed to the United States, England, France, and other countries from 1111 to 1870 [clarification needed], recorded their views of western libraries, noting that they attracted a large number of readers.

[15] Dai Hongci [zh] (戴鸿慈; 戴鴻慈), a member of another Qing mission sent abroad to study modern constitutions, noted the efficacy of book borrowing at the Library of Congress.

[16] In 1906, the governor of Hunan province Pang Hongshu memorialized to the throne to announce he had completed preparations for the creation of a provincial library in Changsha.

[17] In 1908 and 1909, high officials from the provinces of Fengtian, Shandong, Shanxi, Zhejiang and Yunnan petitioned the Imperial Court asking for permission to establish public libraries in their respective jurisdictions.

[17] In response, on 2 May 1909, the Qing Ministry of Education (学部; 學部; Xuébù) announced plans to open libraries in every province of the country.

[18] On 9 September 1909, Zhang Zhidong, a long-time leader of the Self-Strengthening movement who had been viceroy of Huguang and was now serving on the powerful Grand Council, memorialized to request the foundation of a library in China's capital.

Philologist and bibliographer Miao Quansun (缪荃荪; 繆荃蓀; 1844–1919), who had overseen the founding of Jiangnan Library in Nanjing two years earlier, was called in to administer the new establishment.

[22] A private proposal made by Luo Zhenyu in the early 1900s stated that the library should be located in a place protected from both fire and floods, and at some distance from noisy markets.

Following these recommendations, the Ministry of Education first chose the Deshengmen neighborhood inside the northern Beijing city wall, a quiet area with lakes.

[24] The National Peking Library opened to the public on 27 August 1912, a few months after the abdication of Puyi (r. 1908–12), the last emperor of the Qing dynasty.

[27] On 29 October 1913, because Guanghua Temple proved too small and inaccessible, the main library itself was closed, pending the choice of a new site.

[30] In 1916, the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the Republic of China ordered that a copy of every Chinese publication should be deposited at the Metropolitan Library after being registered with the Copyright Bureau.

[31] After the Northern Expedition of Kuomintang in 1928, the name of Beijing was changed to Beiping (Peiping) to emphasize that the capital had moved to Nanjing (jīng lit.

[36] In October 1987, the Library moved to a modern building located north of Purple Bamboo Park in Haidian District.

[46] Among the most prized collections of the National Library of China are rare and precious documents and records from past dynasties in Chinese history.

[48] The content of three private libraries from the Jiangnan area were donated under the supervision of Duanfang, the viceroy of Liangjiang, and the Ministry arranged for the transfer from Gansu of what remained of the Dunhuang manuscripts.

This museum features rare books and maps, Yangshi Lei architecture drawings, stone and bronze rubbings, oracle bones, and many other unique items.