The National Library of China on Thursday received 20 manuscripts written by Zhao Yuhuang, China's founding father of contemporary herbalism and bio-medicine, which brought the library's manuscript collection to more than 5,000 pieces.
To commemorate Zhao's 120th birthday, his relatives donated his manuscripts along with his collections of medical books to the library according to his will.
Ren Jiyu, director of the library, said the manuscripts of celebrities recorded their thoughts and also served as historical records. "We should safeguard these treasures with great care," he said at Thursday's donation ceremony.
The library has been collecting the manuscripts of more than 200 prominent writers, philosophers and scholars since the 1950s.
The collections are stored in an air-conditioned room with regulated humidity as are the Dunhuang documents.
Ren said the library is planning to make digital replicas of these manuscripts.
(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2003)
