China is a great ancient civilization in the world with an extremely splendid ancient civilization.The number of ancient classics ranks first in the world.Studying the history of our country's collection of books is an important aspect of studying our country's cultural history, and it is a key to open the treasure house of our civilization, so it is of great significance. The so-called history of book collection refers to the history of the management, preservation and circulation of books and classics in different eras in accordance with a certain arrangement system.It involves four aspects: 1. The form of books, because different forms of books have different ways of storage and circulation, such as bamboo slips, paper books and magnetic tapes have different methods of collection and use; 2. Book cataloging, namely The system and method of organizing books. For example, in ancient times, books were organized in four categories: Classics, History, Zi, and Ji, while in modern times, books are divided and managed according to the Chinese library classification method based on scientific classification; 3. Book collection, namely The preservation and management of books; 4. The circulation of books, that is, the borrowing and use of books.

my country is one of the first countries in the world to set up book collection institutions and managers. The book collection system in Chinese history can be divided into three categories: national collection, commonly known as official collection; private collection, also known as private collection; academy collection and monastery collection, namely Privately funded collection of books.The so-called bibliophiles in history refer to private book collectors. The national collection of books in our country began in the Zhou Dynasty.According to literature records, historians of the Zhou Dynasty were in charge of collecting books, and the famous thinker Lao Tzu was the chief official of the National Library at that time - "History of the Collection Room", specializing in the collection and management of national classics.The library in the Qin Dynasty was called Shishi.At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, when the world was established, books were widely collected and collected in six collections: Taichang, Taishi, Doctor, Yange, Guangnei, and Secret Room.During the Cao and Wei Dynasties, there were secretaries, Chinese and foreign national library offices; the Jin Dynasty followed the Wei system, and all book collections belonged to the Lantai (outer Taiwan) and the secretary (cabinet).This is roughly the case in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.In the Sui, Tang, Song, and Ming and Qing dynasties, there were official collection agencies, and the governments of each dynasty owned a considerable number of books. These books undoubtedly played a positive role in the preservation and circulation of classics.But it is worth pointing out that the official collection of books is monopolized. In feudal society, they were only enjoyed by the emperors and dignitaries, and civilian intellectuals could not use them;This is also the reason why our country's official collection of books is not as good as private collections in terms of preserving editions and disseminating knowledge.

The official collections of the past dynasties were supplemented by receiving the official collections of the previous generation, confiscating the collections of local separatist forces, and collecting private collections, organizing copying and engraving.For example, after Xiao He entered Xianyang in the Western Han Dynasty, he widely collected Qin books, and Xu Da in the Ming Dynasty collected all the books collected in secret pavilions in various places to explain Jinling, which are all proofs.At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the form of official collection could no longer meet the needs of social development, and public libraries came into being.The establishment of public libraries has played a great role in developing knowledge, broadening knowledge and changing the atmosphere of the world.

The private book collection started a little later than the official collection, and it was born corresponding to the emergence of private schools. "Zhuangzi · Tianxia Pian" says "Benefits to many places, and his books are five carts", and "Historical Records · Su Qin Biography" records Su Qin's "Chen Qie [qieqie] dozens of", which is the best explanation for the early private collection of books.During the Qin and Han dynasties, some bibliophiles had quite large collections, such as Liu De, king of Xian in Hejian, Liu An, king of Huainan, father and son of famous scholar Liu Xiang, Ban Yu [you You], Bu Gui [gui boudoir], Fu Shen, Yang Xiong, etc. Everyone has a large collection of books.Cai Yong (yong Yong) was the first bibliophile in my country to collect thousands of volumes in the Eastern Han Dynasty.Bibliographers in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties included Zhang Hua and Fan Wei in the Western Jin Dynasty; Yin Yun and Xi Jianzhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty; ], it is said that their collections exceed ten thousand volumes.Bibliophiles in the Northern Dynasties first recommended Yan Zhitui, a famous scholar in the Northern Zhou Dynasty.In the Sui Dynasty, Xu Shanxin and Liu (上qiaoxiaji) [bianbian] were the most famous for their collection of books, both of which had nearly ten thousand volumes.In the Tang Dynasty, due to the long-term social stability and economic development, the peak of the development of Chinese feudal culture was formed. In the Tang Dynasty, there were no less than 20 private collections of more than 10,000 volumes.Li Mi has the largest collection of books, as many as 30,000 volumes.Followed by Wei Shu, Su Bian, Liu Zhongying, Du Xian, etc., each of them has a collection of more than ten thousand volumes.In the Song Dynasty, private collection of books became very popular.Since the engraving and printing technology appeared in the Tang Dynasty, engraving became popular in the Song Dynasty, and book collection became a fashion for bureaucrats and bureaucrats.The collections of Jiangzheng, Li Fang, Song Shou and his sons, Wang Qinchen, Tian Wei, Rong Wang Zongchuo, Ye Mengde in the Northern Song Dynasty and Chao Gongwu, Zheng Qiao, You Miao [mao Mao], Chen Zhensun and others in the Southern Song Dynasty all exceeded ten thousand volumes. There are more than 70,000 volumes of books.Private book collections flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties. There were thousands of book collectors with tens of thousands of volumes, and even hundreds of thousands of volumes.In the Ming Dynasty, the private library buildings were the most famous in the Tianyi Pavilion of the Fan family in Ningbo, the Jigu Pavilion of the Mao family in Changshu, the Dansheng hall of the Qi family in Shanyin, the Deyue Tower of the Li family in Jiangyin, and the Zhao family pulse Wangguan in Changshu; in the Qing Dynasty, the Liaocheng library in Shandong Yang's Haiyuan Pavilion, Qu's Tieqin and Tongjian Tower in Changshu, Gui'an Lu's Song Tower and Hangzhou Ding's Baqianjuan Tower are the most famous.So far, the scale of private book collection has reached its peak in our country.During the period of the Republic of China, with the invasion of foreign powers, the disintegration of the feudal system, and the emergence of new types of libraries, private collections of books gradually shrank. The more famous ones include Li Shengduo’s Muxi Xuan, Fu Zengxiang’s Tibetan Garden, and Zhou Shutao’s Hanzai. Tang and Zheng Zhenduo's Xidi Collection are the most representative.

Famous bibliophiles in the past dynasties in China have a common feature: profound knowledge, many of them are scholars and politicians, and have had a great influence on Chinese society.Qing Dynasty scholar Hong Liangji's "Beijiang Poetry Talk" once divided Chinese collectors into five categories: textual research, collation (chou vengeance), collection, appreciation, and plundering, or a combination of the five merits.Among them, even looting dealers have the real kung fu of "noting the real and the fake with the eyes, and knowing the past and the present with the heart".Many bibliophiles searched for different editions, made amends for those who died, cut down on food and clothing, spent all their money, and even risked their lives to protect the books during wars and wars.

The collection of books in academies is much later than official collections and private collections.In the sixth year of Tang Kaiyuan (718 A.D.), Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji set up Lizheng Academy, which was named Academy.The earliest collection of books in the academy began with Dongjia Academy run by the Chen family in De’an, Jiangxi in the Tang Dynasty. Dongjia Academy not only collects books, but also can borrow them, which is very rare.Among the national academies in the Song Dynasty, the four most famous academies were Bailudong Academy in Lushan Mountain, Yuelu Academy in Changsha, Suiyang Academy in Suiyang and Shigu Academy in Hengyang.The academy is not only a teaching institution, but teaching and reading are inseparable, so collection of books has become an indispensable thing for the academy.There were 46 academies in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, 719 academies in the Song Dynasty, 296 academies in the Yuan Dynasty, 1,701 academies in the Ming Dynasty, fewer academies in the early Qing Dynasty, and then increased to nearly 3,560 in the Qianlong period.Even so, the number of books in the academy is still not as good as the official and private collections.

The temple collections are mainly Buddhist temple collections.Buddhism was founded in ancient India and was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty.During the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, Buddhist temples prospered from their beginnings, and Buddhist classics were passed on from word to mouth to be widely known in the world. Even the earliest engraved book in the world was stolen from my country by the British Stein. Buddhist scriptures engraved in the Dunhuang collection in the second year of Youyou (949 AD).The first time when Buddhist scriptures were introduced to China was the first year of Yuanshou (2 BC) of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty. "Wei Lue Xirong Biography" records the "Buddha Sutra" dictated by Yi Cun, an envoy of Dayuezhi King.The translation of Buddhist scriptures began in the second year of Jianhe (AD 148) of Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty.During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there were more and more believers in Buddhism. By the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty, there were more than 30,000 Buddhist temples and more than 2 million monks and nuns.Reflecting the monastery's collection of books, such as the "Catalogue of Wei Shizhong Jing" compiled by Li Kuo in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the "Catalogue of Qi Shizhong Jing" compiled by the Northern Qi Dynasty, both contain more than 2,000 volumes of Buddhist books.In the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzang went to Tianzhu to learn Buddhist scriptures. He brought back many Buddhist scriptures and translated them in Chang'an for 20 years.A total of 75 Buddhist scriptures, 1335 volumes, were translated.The "Kaiyuan Shijiaolu" compiled by Zhisheng during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong reflected the situation of Buddhist scriptures collected in Buddhist temples in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.Many monasteries have a large collection of books, such as the Ximing Temple in Chang'an and the Donglin Temple in Lushan Mountain, which both have tens of thousands of volumes.The engraving and printing of the Tripitaka in the Northern Song Dynasty was completed from the Kaibao period of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin (AD 968-976) to the time of Taizong. There are 1076 volumes and 4048 volumes, which are called "Kaibaozang".During the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, especially the Yuan and Qing dynasties, ethnic minorities entered the Central Plains and vigorously advocated Buddhism.The collection of books in Buddhist temples increased greatly.There are four characteristics of the monastery's collection of books: First, the collection is widely distributed and has many readers.Every monastery has a collection of books. In addition to monks and nuns, there are also good men and women who read scriptures and read very devoutly.Second, there are many sources of books.There are gifts from the imperial court, donations from the government and private individuals, and purchases by temples. For example, Bai Juyi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, once sponsored the Xiangshan Temple in Luoyang to purchase Buddhist scriptures.The third is the large circulation.According to the "Sui Shu·Jing Ji Zhi", the Buddhist scriptures handed down at that time were "hundreds of thousands times more than the Six Classics".It can be seen that there are many people who read Buddhist scriptures.Fourth, all of its books are edited by special personnel, and there are special rooms, which are displayed in separate collections, and are lent and returned on time, which is different from official collections and private collections.