This section is used to collect all the public libraries in the largest four cities of China, which include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Books are always the best intellectual food for the spiritual world of human beings. This section aims at providing the basic introduction and contact details of local public libraries for the expats who live in China. The founder of this site wishes to bring convenience for the friends who come from afar.

The first modern libraries did not emerge in China until the late 19th century. At that time, library service grew in a slow pace. In 1949 there were only 55 public libraries at the county level and above, most concentrated in major coastal commercial centers.

Following the founding of the People’s Republic, government and education leaders strove to develop library services and make them available throughout the country. By 2004, China owned 2,710 public libraries with a collection of over 400 million copies. There were 2,925 public libraries in total in 2011.

Below is a general introduction of the top 5 public libraries in China. Please go to Libraries on China Yellow Pages for more details about the other numerous public libraries.

1. National Library of China

The National Library of China (中国国家图书馆) in Beijing is the largest library in Asia, and one of the largest in the world with a grand collection of books. It holds the largest and among the richest worldwide collections of Chinese literature and historical documents.

2. Shanghai Library

Shanghai Library (上海图书馆) is the second largest library in China after the National Library of China in Beijing. It is located in Shanghai, China. At 24 stories and 348 feet (106 m) tall, it is one of the tallest libraries in the world.[1] The building has a tower that looks like a giant lighthouse.

3. Nanjing Library

Nanjing Library (南京图书馆) is a provincial public library in Jiangsu. Established in 1907, it’s one of the earliest public libraries in China and served as the national central library during the Republic of China. So far, with its 8-million volume collections, it ranks the third among libraries in China.

4. Chongqing Library

The Chongqing Library (重庆图书馆) has completed the main part of the construction project of its new building on May 1st, 2007. The library, with an investment of 300 million RMB, occupies an area of more than 30,000 square meters and totals over 50,000 square meters in floor space. It will possess the capacity to house totally 8 million volumes of books.

5. Shandong Provincial Library

Located at the bank of Daming Lake, Shandong Provincial Library (山东省图书馆) was founded in 1909. Covering 10,400 square meters and comprising 4.03 million volumes, it is the center of library, information and documents, automation development, business exchange and study in Shandong.