Scholars unite for innovation and collaboration in ancient text preservation

With better integrated preservation and dissemination of ancient texts, cross-disciplinary and cross-field collaborations will naturally promote them beyond libraries and studies, ensuring they are an integral part of daily life, a leading researcher says.

Chen Hongyan, from the National Library of China, was attending the fifth International Forum on the Collection, Study, Publication of Ancient Texts recently held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

She introduced the NLC's ancient text collections highlighting recent efforts in their preservation and utilization, especially the critical role of technology. This includes improvements in storage environments, specialized book containers, scientific research on preservation, development of conservation equipment and materials, as well as patented de-acidification inventions.

Hosted by the Guangxi Normal University Group and the university's Center for the Compilation and Research of Ancient Texts, the forum brought more than 60 scholars from home and abroad, including experts from Peking University, Waseda University, the University of Pennsylvania Libraries and the Inner Mongolia Academy of Social Sciences.

In his speech, Liu Yucai, director of the Center for Ancient Chinese Classics and Archives of Peking University, says that the focus of work on ancient texts now should be on their compiling, research, development and utilization. It is necessary to deepen the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional culture, he says.

Huang Wentao, deputy Party secretary at Guangxi Normal University, emphasized the need for collaboration between academia and the publishing industry.

He says that GNU will continue supporting the collection, research, and publication of ancient texts.

During the keynote session, scholars delivered presentations addressing multiple topics: the curation, preservation, and utilization of rare collections across libraries; the scholarly significance of Japanese-transmitted manuscript copies of single-commentary editions of Confucian classics; progress on compiling the Haiwai Zhongguo Guji Zonglu (Union Catalog of Chinese Ancient Books Overseas) and trends in classical text collation research alongside library development strategies in the era of artificial intelligence.

Koichiro Inahata, emeritus professor at Waseda University and honorary professor of Shandong University, detailed the global collections of Dunhuang manuscripts and systematic preservation initiatives. He then analyzed Keio University Library's Dunhuang manuscripts, examining the physical features and ownership seals of the transcripts during the period between 1912 and 1949. Through comparative study with National Diet Library materials, he highlighted their scholarly significance.

Professor Liu traced the evolution of classical commentaries across historical periods. He noted that after single-commentary editions declined in China, Japanese-transmitted manuscript copies possess unique scholarly value. Japan's surviving rare or complete copies may position overseas Chinese manuscripts as a new frontier rivaling Dunhuang texts in publishing significance.

At the forum, the GNUP also launched its database of ancient texts. The database has integrated 60,000 precious ancient text titles, totaling over 30 million pages and nearly 10 billion characters, covering rare editions of ancient classics, secret manuals, and local chronicles. It offers powerful features such as text-image comparison, original layout restoration, full-text search covering traditional and simplified characters and variants, and AI-powered punctuation and sentence segmentation.

The database is dedicated to faithfully restoring the original appearance of ancient texts, enhancing research efficiency, and serving academic scholarship and cultural heritage preservation, says Hou Junming, deputy manager of GNUP Ltd.