Capital Library

This article is about the 1913-founded municipal library in downtown Beijing. For the national library, see National Library of China. For the 2023-opened new municipal library in suburban Beijing, see Beijing Library.

The Capital Library (CLCN) is a municipal public library in Chaoyang, Beijing, China. The library is noted for its collection of Chinese opera, classical music, drama and theater.^[2]

Capital Library
首都图书馆
39.870390732157176°N 116.46323800261771°E / 39.870390732157176; 116.46323800261771
Location	Chaoyang, Beijing, China
Type	Public library
Established	1913[1]
Other information
Website	clcn.net.cn

History

Founded in 1913 by Lu Xun,^[3] Capital Library evolved from the merger of the Capital Books Branch, the Capital Popular Library and the Central Park Library Reading Office, which were respectively established in June 1913, October 1913 and August 1917.^[4]

After the Revolution of the Northern Expedition, these three libraries were renamed and merged several times and changed to the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Library. In August 1949, it was renamed the Beijing Municipal Library.^[5] In October 1956, the library was renamed the Capital Library.^[6]

On November 1, 2013, after the National Library of China succumbed to government pressure,^[7] the Capital Library accepted a lecture by Australian historian Ross Terrill, who delivered a speech on the theme of "Mao Zedong in the Eyes of a Biographer: His Life, Personality and Ideology".^[8]

See also

• National first-class library

References

1. "Libraries". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. 2004-10-27.
2. Lin, Sharon Chien (1998). Libraries and librarianship in China. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-00784-5. OCLC 51916298.
3. Chou, Sha-chʻen; 周沙尘. (1984). Beijing old and new : a historical guide to places of interest : with descriptions of famous sites within one day's journey of Beijing (1st ed.). Beijing, China: New World Press. ISBN 0-8351-1392-2. OCLC 12018950.
4. Ni Xiaojian (2007). Beijing Regional Library Chronology, 1949-2006. Beijing Library Press. ISBN 978-7-5013-3431-5.
5. Library Science Newsletter. Cultural Relics Publishing House. 1985.
6. Thesaurus of Modern Chinese History. Henan People's Publishing House. 1991.
7. "China has moved on, but remains in thrall to Mao". The Australian. Dec 26, 2013.
8. "Ross Terrill, author of "Mao: A Biography" delivers a speech at the Capital Library". Boxun. 2013-12-30. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2021-05-06.