Imperial Wenyuange library

The Imperial Wenyuange library was a significant repository of Chinese literature and scholarship, primarily associated with the Ming dynasty and later the Qing dynasty. It was part of the imperial collection and contained a vast number of rare manuscripts and books, some dating back to the Song dynasty.

Key holdings included the Yongle dadian, the world's largest known encyclopedia compiled under the direction of the Yongle emperor, and a copy of the Sikuquanshu from the Qing dynasty. The collection also comprised ancient manuscripts, Buddhist sutras, old maps, and rubbings from inscriptions. The Beijing Library, now the National Library of China, inherited much of this collection.12