ABSTRACT
The chaotic situation in China in the 19th century marked the decline of the Chinese Empire, which in turn led to the reluctant opening of the old Middle Kingdom to the outside world. As the national library of the “country of immigrants,” the Library of Congress was the second library in the United States to acquire Chinese materials for its collections. A combination of economic expectation, social curiosity, cultural interest, and the desire for diplomatic relations inspired and sustained Chinese studies in the Western world in general and in the United States in particular. Before 1945, major emphasis was placed on the purchase of old Chinese works, particularly in the fields of Chinese gazetteers or local histories, ts’ung-shu or collections of reprints, and rare Chinese items. Having the country’s largest Chinese collection, LC has constantly provided assistance and service in acquisition, cataloging, and reference to other Chinese collections in America.
