We have rich collections of material in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Manchu and Mongolian including manuscripts, printed books, periodicals, sound recordings, maps, newspapers and archives.

Collection guides

View all related guides

Help

Readers at desks in the Asian and African Reading Room

Asian & African Studies Reading Room

  • Find information on the shelves
  • Access online databases and electronic books and journals
  • Order collection items to the Reading Room via our catalogues

If you need help, just ask our Information Specialists at the Reference Enquiry desk or contact the Asian & African Studies Reference Team.

We offer a range of free Reader sessions and 1-2-1 consultations to help you make the best use of the Library's collections.

You’ll need a Reader Pass

Mon: 10.00 – 17.00
Tue – Sat: 09.30 – 17.00
Sun & English Public Holidays: closed

Opening hours for all Reading Rooms

Blog posts

Animals: Art, Science and Sound

Monday, April 24, 2023

Animals amaze, fascinate and delight us! In the British Library's new exhibition Animals: Art, Science and Sound (21 April - 29 August 2023) you can see how documenting the animals world has resulted in some of humankind's most awe-inspiring art,...

The Lotus Sutra Project: Conserving and Digitising 800 Manuscripts in the British Library

Monday, April 3, 2023

The International Dunhuang Project (IDP)...

The Story of Inabe no Suminawa: Master Craftsman of Hida

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Classic literature often brings us the m...

Beneath the glitter: Kinzan emaki, inside the gold mines of Sado

Monday, July 11, 2022

Amongst the many gilded books and manusc...

More blog posts

Projects

An image of the frontispiece of the Diamond Sutra, with the Buddha in the centre preaching to a crowd.

International Dunhuang Project (IDP)

An international collaboration making manuscripts and items from along the Eastern Silk Roads available online.

End of a manuscript on fine yellow paper with Chinese characters in columns

Lotus Sutra Manuscripts Conservation and Digitisation Project

We have conserved and digitised nearly 800 Lotus Sutra manuscripts in Chinese language

All projects

East Asian collections highlights

oracle bone fragment, with characters carved on the surface

Chinese oracle bone

Between 1300 BC and 1050 BC

Photograph of 4 Dharanis behind a wooden miniature pagoda which housed the four dhāraṇīs.

The Million Pagoda Charms

764–770 CE

Great Canon of the Yongle Reign

Yongle Encyclopedia

1562-1572

Dunhuang Star Chart

Chinese star chart

c. 700 AD

Library experts

Sara Chiesura

Sara Chiesura

Lead Curator, Chinese Collections

British Library Chinese curator

Mélodie Doumy

Curator of Chinese Collections and IDP

Emma Goodliffe British Library

Emma Harrison

Curator, Chinese Collections

British Library Chinese collection specialist

Han-Lin Hsieh

Curator, Chinese collections

Yasuyo Ohtsuka

Yasuyo Ohtsuka

Curator, Japanese Collections

Hamish Todd

Hamish Todd

Head of East Asian Collections