#chinese libraries

[intothestacks]

Libraries Around the World: Xi'an, China

In 627 CE, under the reign of Chinese emperor Tàizōng of Táng (Chinese: 唐太宗) we know a library was established which housed a whopping 54,000 rolls.

[arc-hus]

Grand Canyon Bookstore, Nujiang, China - TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

[fictionadventurer]

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) is free on tubi. You're welcome.

[jareckiworld]

Liu Wei — Library IV (books, wood, board and iron, 2013)

[epiclad]

This made me weirdly happy if only because the last time I drew Trunks (or any DBZ character for that matter) was waaaaaaaaaaay back in grade school where dragon ball was at peak influence for me (drawing the eyes was always the fun part, because my grasp of anatomy back then made anything I drew with muscles look inhuman).

Now that I find myself drawing a DBZ character again after the passing of Toriyama-sensei... it feels good knowing i'll get to do it justice this time around.

RIP, Toriyama-sensei. Thanks for the great childhood memories.

[tuktukpodfics]

Just popping by to say that 'Wanyi' and your words for why it's a good name for Zuko's ship hit me like a sack of bricks to the chest. absolutely incredible choice, I am REELING.

I'm glad you found it so touching!

I haven’t read Embers. I thought MuffinLance intentionally named Zuko’s warship 萬一 (one in ten thousand, what if) from the start. It’s been a bit bewildering to see a mistake become new fanon. 

At risk of ruining the sentimentality of the name Wanyi, I would issue a few caveats to people adopting it for their fics. It’s really more of a retrofit of the old name—something to rebrand while sounding and looking similar enough to Wani to not be distracting. 

Wanyi is pinyin romanization, used in the People’s Republic of China. You could just as easily spell it Wan-i or Wani. Canon uses a mix of romanization methods. However, if the goal is rebranding, Wanyi makes sense.

Wanyi isn’t an Authentic™ historical Chinese boat name. That would be something like Galloping Clouds or Tranquil Seas. 

You might want to use a different culture instead of Chinese for Zuko’s warship. Canonically, there are Fire Nation characters with Chinese inspired names, like Zhao, Piandao, and Shyu, but if your fan-fiction is drawing more inspiration from Japanese or Thai culture, maybe a different name is more suited. 

Wanyi is often used for negative what-ifs. An unlikely disaster. Zuko is, after all, a disaster magnet. And the cause of many misfortunes. 

Wanyi literally means one in ten thousand, but it is grammatically used to indicate an extremely unlikely possibility. Like finding the avatar. To me, it feels ominous, anxious, yearning in an unrealistic sort of way, which I think all speak to Zuko's character arc. Idk, what do other Chinese speakers think?

[californiastatelibrary]

⚠️ Newly Digitized Collection Alert: Chinese Newspapers

Chinese Newspapers were character based rather than letter based which was challenging for printers at the time. Early Chinese newspapers used lithography to solve this printing issue. Grease pencils on special stones were used to print the early publications.

Explore the collection online:

The Oriental, or Tang fan gong bao:

https://delivery.library.ca.gov:8443/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE326096

The Oriental, or Chung-hsi hui pao:

https://delivery.library.ca.gov:8443/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE326085

The Oriental, or Tung-ngai san-luk, 1855-1857:

https://delivery.library.ca.gov:8443/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE326066

San Francisco China News:

https://delivery.library.ca.gov:8443/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE326235

[romanceyourdemons]

whenever i hear people talking about tian guan ci fu it’s all stuff like “the greatest love story ever told 🥺” “xie lian suffered so much but he’s still so infinitely kind 🥺” which is how my mom talks about the bible. and i’m sure it’s a fine book, but there’s just not enough gravy in the pitch for me to invest in something of that scale. after all, there are so many greatest love stories ever told, but very few stories have, for instance, whatever the hell guan yu and cao cao had going on

[cheryroseart]

Xingyin and Wenzhi from Daughter Of The Moon Goddess 💜

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Please don’t repost without credits

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[arthistoryanimalia]

Tiny #elephant alert! 🐘

Amitabha Sutra (Discourse on the Land of Bliss), China, c.1775

The Morgan Library & Museum MS W.69

“PAINTED ON A BODHI LEAF

The Buddha achieved enlightenment beneath a tree with large, spade-shaped leaves. Revered by Buddhists, these trees became known as bodhi (or "enlightenment") trees and were propagated throughout Asia. In China, artists used bodhi leaves to create paintings for albums like this one, thereby infusing their images with sacred power. Written in gold ink against a deep blue background, this Buddhist sutra, or scripture, describes the wonders of Sukhavati, or the Land of Bliss, an uncorrupted realm inhabited by enlightened beings. One such being is depicted here accompanied by a diminutive elephant. The brightly painted bodhi leaf was pasted into a section of cutout paper and framed with yellow silk brocade.”

[archivist-dragonfly]

Book 530

The Embodied Image: Chinese Calligraphy from the John B. Elliot Collection

Robert E. Harrist, Jr. and Wen C. Fong, et al.

The Art Museum, Princeton University / Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1999

Published to accompany a traveling exhibit between 1999-2001, this book presents highlights from Princeton University’s John B. Elliot Collection, one of the most comprehensive collections of Chinese calligraphy outside of Asia. With works dating from the fourth through the twentieth centuries, the collection illustrates the extraordinary variety of formats and styles that makes shu-fa—“the way of writing”—so visually stunning. Arguing, through presentation and nine scholarly essays, that calligraphy is integral to Chinese culture, this is a beautifully organized and composed book, filled with nearly 500 images to enrich the soul.

[bernievm]

If you are still heart broken about the destruction of the Alexandria library, you will be happy to hear in a far away world, there’s a vast library hidden from the world for centuries, contains 84,000 books, which are planned to be digitised, translated and share with the world.

The Sakya Monastery in Tibet, founded in 1073 by Khon Konchog Gyalpo, is renowned for its vast library of ancient manuscripts, many of which remain untouched for centuries.

Most of these texts are Buddhist scriptures, meticulously handwritten in various languages like Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Sanskrit. But the depth of this collection is vast. It isn’t limited to religious teachings; it expands into the realms of literature, history, philosophy, the stars above with astronomy, the logic of mathematics, the beauty of art, and even the practical wisdom of agriculture.

The scale of this library is staggering. Picture traditional bookshelves stretching 200 feet and soaring to 33 feet, all packed with a whopping 84,000 books! Among these, there’s a standout: a single scripture that tips the scales at a massive 1,100 pounds, claiming the title of the heaviest in the world. Thanks to the region’s dry climate, the library also boasts a collection of delicate palm-leaf manuscripts, preserved in near-perfect condition.

The library is not open to the general public but is accessible to members and visiting scholars with permission. Efforts are underway to digitize these manuscripts, making them more widely available for research and study. This initiative highlights the library's role as a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern scholarship, offering invaluable insights into Tibetan culture and knowledge.

Now, these precious papers give us a peek into Tibet’s history. They show us how people lived, what they believed, and how they dreamed. Thanks to the Sakya Monastery, a whole world has been brought back to life from long ago. Everyone can learn and be amazed by the wonders of the past.

[Sources]:

*Earthly Mission: Tibet's Great Sakya Library (https://earthlymission.com/tibet-great-sakya-library-84000-scrolls-heaviest-scripture-world/)

*History Enhanced: Unveiling the Unseen (https://historyenhanced.com/unveiling-the-unseen-84000-unread-manuscripts-from-sakya-librarys-timeless-tales-discovered/)

*The Historians: The Secrets of Sakya Monastery Library (https://thehistorians.org/2023/12/24/the_secrets_of_sakya_monastery_library_in_tibet/)

[mejomonster]

Ive been hearimg all about the internet archive lawsuit and my big question is just...

All the 1800-1950 out of print, and out of copyright date, non fiction books... will they be taken down? Because archive.org is a treasure trove for finding pre 1950 and pre 1900 language learning textbooks, ones you cannot find in print to purchase and cannot find in libraries in many countries and if you can its potentially 1 library in one whole country. It is the best place to find old (very old) out of print books, digitally backed up and accessible to many. In the years I've used archive.org for that, some of those books would have check out limits with due dates, and some would be open to view fully on the webpage without checking out.

[jareckiworld]

Liu Wei — Library V (books, wood, board and iron, 2013)

[floweringpear]

the dah hsian seetoo library at national chengchi university 📚🌅 政治大學達賢圖書館