Rediscovering Chinese History in Rare Books¹

^1.Chinese rare book antique book or manuscript in the Chinese language, including languages used by Chinese minorities, which, conforms to at least one of the three underlying principles:

(1) A work should have importance as a historical document:

(2) A work should have academic or scholarly importance;

(3) A work should be representative of some artistic quality, style, or form. Simultaneously it should meet at least one of the following conditions:

a. Be dated prior to 1795;^*

^*1795 is the last year of the Qian Long Era of the Qing Dynasty.

b. Be an item exists in only one or a few copies;

c. Be the author's original manuscript, either in his own hand or a hand-written copy under his supervision;

d. Be a hand-written copy by or under the supervision of a famous scholar, bibliographer or collector; e. Be a book or manuscript annotated or even punctuated in the hand of a famous scholar, bibliographer or collector;

f. Be an item connected to a famous scholar, bibliographer or collector with his hand-written preface or postscript, or his seal{s) on it.

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Notes

^1. Chinese rare book antique book or manuscript in the Chinese language, including languages used by Chinese minorities, which, conforms to at least one of the three underlying principles:

(1) A work should have importance as a historical document:

(2) A work should have academic or scholarly importance;

(3) A work should be representative of some artistic quality, style, or form. Simultaneously it should meet at least one of the following conditions:

a. Be dated prior to 1795;^*

b. Be an item exists in only one or a few copies;

c. Be the author's original manuscript, either in his own hand or a hand-written copy under his supervision;

d. Be a hand-written copy by or under the supervision of a famous scholar, bibliographer or collector; e. Be a book or manuscript annotated or even punctuated in the hand of a famous scholar, bibliographer or collector;

f. Be an item connected to a famous scholar, bibliographer or collector with his hand-written preface or postscript, or his seal{s) on it.

^* 1795 is the last year of the Qian Long Era of the Qing Dynasty.