East Asia | British Library - The British Library

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

Chinese collection
Includes over 100,000 printed books and 2,500 periodical titles in Chinese
Japanese collection
Material from the 8th century to the present
Korean collection
Historical texts and contemporary publications
Mongolian collection
Thousands of items from the Mongolian Republic, China and Russia
Manchu collection
Manuscripts, woodblock prints and works relating to the Qing dynasty
Stein collection
Over 45,000 items collected by Sir Marc Aurel Stein

View all related guides

Help

Subjects

Maps

The British Library collection of maps, plans and views is one of the largest in the world, numbering some 4.5 million

Southeast Asia

Manuscripts and publications in Southeast Asian languages

Visual arts

Our visual arts collections include paintings, drawings, prints and photographs.

Central Asia

Our resources on Central Asia

Philately

Stamps and postal history items from around the world

Readers at desks in the Asian and African Reading Room

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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

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

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