page_title: Rare Book Preservation Society
section_title: Progress Reports
hierarchical_section_title: Rare Book Preservation Society / Progress Reports
caption_attribution_description: English: Yuhailou_ruian 中文: 温州瑞安玉海楼
context_page_description: The Rare Book Preservation Society was founded in 1940 by Zheng Zhenduo, Zhang Shouyong, He Bingsong, Zhang Yuanji, and Zhang Fengju for the purpose of secretly acquiring and preserving rare books and manuscripts in the Shanghai Jiangnan region. These cultural assets have been accumulated by a number of famous private libraries some over 1,000 years.
  They faced Japanese looting and forced sale under duress. In less than 2 years, the Society succeeded in saving over 130,000 volumes in the lands controlled by the Japanese. One hundred thirty crates were sent to Hong Kong for safekeeping. Despite their best efforts the entire collection was looted anyway when the Japanese later overran Hong Kong. Fortunately after WWII and the Japanese surrender, Zhang Fengju 张凤举 was sent to Japan April 1946 and recovered the collection after working closely with the U.S. Occupation forces in Tokyo. These were successively shipped back to Shanghai for the National Central Library 中央图书馆.
context_section_description: Of Zheng Zhenduo's 9 reports, one page from each report is displayed on the Rare Books, National Central Library website about this activity.  The following excerpts give a flavor. National Central Library website for Rare Books special exhibition: Progress Reports
  1st Report: summarizes activities from beginning of February, including 75 groups of fine rare books from the Liu family's Yuehaitang 玉海堂, 780 from the Hangzhou Hu family, 220 some from Song family consisting of seal script books,  12 from Zhang Congyue 张葱玉 family consisting of Songjiang handwritten Han manuscripts, 20 from Tieqingtonjian Pavilion 铁琴铜剑楼 consisting of Yuan Ming dynasty 元明 printed books and handwritten book proofs 抄校本书.
  2nd report:  relates that the Japanese enemy bought two important collection for 600,000 and 400,000 yuan respectively; and that this must not happen in South China.  Also that Harvard earmarked US$60,000. for its agents to acquire rare books.
  3rd report: concerns a private goal of the society members to acquire a number of "Siku Index" 四库存目 (This is a compendium of all known books compiled in the 17th century under direction of the Kangxi Emperor.  It was updated a number of times as new editions.) The report also describes the seals to be placed on the first 希古右文 and last page 不薄今人爱古人 of each book.
  4th report:  tells about the dangers of sending letters by mail.  Suggested a method of coding for written communications disguised as a commercial transaction.
  5th report:  suggests that after repeated viewing, the Society considers their goal should be the Liu and Zhang libraries.  The latter has countless important Song, Yuan and hand copied books and manuscripts.  The going market price would be around 100,000 yuan. They must not be allowed to be dispersed or exported. The Liu collection highlights are in the Ming fine books, especially many rarely seen unique historic records.  It also includes unprinted Qing handwritten proofs.
  6th report:  recent decisions after discussing with Xu Senyue 徐森玉 to set the following goals, a) unique manuscripts, b) unprinted proofs, c) rare manuscripts, d) forbidden texts 禁毁书, e) "Siku" compendium 四库存目.  The principles are to conserve financial capital, concentrate on quality and not quantity.
  7th report:  reflects that the books acquired so far have been directly from the owners.  The prices have been reasonable.  But market prices have been increasing precipitously and that future prices will be undoubtedly higher.
  8th report:  concerns the purchase of the Jiayetang library and some of its details.
  9th report:  writes that individual acquisition activities have stopped.
caption: Yuehaitang Library (玉海堂藏书楼)
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