Great National Instituti ion Opened in Former Capital Fron Aca Owe Peking, June 25.
The National Library of Peking was formally declared open to-day.
An imposing structure in the teen compet andthe jury awarded first prize to the one sub-ted jointly by Messrs. V. Leth-'Moller & Ca. of Peking and Messrs. erie henley We Wea tso notabi addition by Messrs. Gunn and Dean, 1g is a notable addition to the Javehitectural beauties of Peking Iso of Peking. Messrs. S. Q. Wong, jand F. 'T. Lau of Tientsin won third jand. harmonises well with the ad-prize and Mr. Carl J. Anner of Hoining Pei Hai, or Winter Palace, {from which it is separated by a Peking fourth prize, marble balustrade. The interior After the award had been made arrangements have been worked out Messrs. Leth-Moller & Ca. were apwith meticulous care to meet the pointed architects and entrusted Ineeds of an up-to-date library with Jwith the construction of the build-Istack space for 50,000 volumes, ing, Mr. C. J. Avner being appointed foe sides reading rooms, research [to assist in the supervision. The rooms and other special facilities. [general contract was awarded to the The history of the library dates Fu Hin Engineering and Construc-back to September of 1909, when tion Ca, of Tientsin, while contracts for the various electrical and mech-the Board of Education submitted jo memorial urging the establish fanical installations, including the ment of a national library. Imperial main unit of steel book stacks, were Jawarded to the China American sanction having been given, the Engineering Corporation of Tien-books formerly preserved at the tsin, and the contract for steel and at the library, shelves for manuscripts, maps and. Cabinet were trans-periodicals went to the R new institution, pany of London. The JAmong. other notable. additions mated cost of the building and. which helped to form the nucleus Jequipment is about Mex. $1,300,000. fa collections of the the library were a, part of the The new library is an interesting Jexample of a Chinese-style building ion of more than 8,000 Tar Lis families and a colle adapted to modern requirements. fiynasty manuscripts obtained from The system of support sand roofs the Buddhist temple at Tun Huang! is thoroughly Chinese and all supjwaade famous by the discoveries of ports carry down uninterruptedly Sie Aurel Stein." Reopened in to" the foundations. The frame. August, 1912, after its activities work of the building is entirely of lad' been suspended by the 1911 reinforced concrete, which material evolution, the library" made. rapid thas been used also in the roof con-Jetcidea inthe collection of. books, struction with its intricate arrange-falling heir, soon after its reorg ment of rafters, brackets, cornices: ganization. in, 1015,. to. the "Jehol land elaborate ornamental details. Palace set of the Sze Ku Chuan The floors are of reinforced concrete Shay or Imperial Library {finished with terrazzo, except in the poor. Chien Long, in" 96,00, Jease of the general reading room, board room and main staircase, which have floors of cork tiles.'
In the winter of 1925 the Minis-The plinths of the building and try of Education undertook to coterraces are faced with white operate with the China Foundation, Imarble, while the facades are deorganized to take, charge, of the corated and painted in the Ming second portion of the American dynasty style.
Boxer Indemnity remitted the pre-Iviows year, in the creation of a Hibrary: which would be adequate to ithe needs of such an educational and cultural centre as Peking seem-Jed destined to become, Political Jconditions, however, made it impossible for the Ministry to fulfil its [share of the agreement and so the [Foundation decided to go with ithe construction of the library on its own account. At the time, how-fever, the chosen site was occupied by military authorities as a drill [ground and persistent efforts to get r{actual possession of the property 50 omer ald bu Par sire oe pete he eyo eons seer the aeons Seed of ae otice wut Sausas ey hen hoi Tighe tard into Approached through a massive gateway from which a broad drive-}way leads to the main entrance, th building is compos Inected units so designed integral whole. On entering the central building, one arrives in a spacious and lofty hall, from which Jaccess is gained to the various rooms for periodicals, its and special collections. These rooms are large Jand well-proportioned, the ceilings being panelled and painted in Chi-Inese style. The basement given, lover to the news pay Jand stack rooms for manuscripts jand rare books, newspapers, period. cals and the Imperial Library of ICh'en Lung. A wide stairway ichly ornamented with carved teakwood panels leads from the entrance hall to the upper floor. The general reading room occupies the whole of the second floor of the central build-jing and has a seating capacity for 1192 readers. Its magnificent panel-ceiling and ornate colour schemes were executed under the direction of Mr. Chu. Chi-chien, President of the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture.
Berg ge rope aston anne sree ins Cues 20 Sats pale aes ite Pine ale, Aaa tee A lets Wesnin S taneed pene der arent ten Chas cone kn electrical book conveyer conlnects the book delivery room with Jail floors. The stack. building, lofty structure in the tear contain-ting four tiers of steel book shelves ith a capacity of 350,000 volumes, entirely fireproof and can be isolated from the rest of the build-jing by a rolling steel door. Its design has been so planned as to admit of easy extension in the future, if necessary. There is uvate telephone exchange of ighty lines im the library, with three connections to the city telephone system. The furniture in the Imam reading room, periodical read-room-and bibliothecal museum is. specially designed and made of teak and camphor wood. Old Chi-Inese hardwood furniture has been installed in the reading room for special collections, the reception room and the board room. The Imperil Library is accommodated on
Palace.
original shelves from the Jehol Heat is supplied by a, vacuum steam. heating system, the power for which is generated by a power house situated ina comer of the library" compound, " Electric Light loomes from the same source and twater is supplied by. an artesian troll, The main stack building is ventilated by a system of ducts which carry air from the ventilating plant located in the basement, The new library is to be supported joy the China Foundation and its supervision will be vested in a self perpetuating board of managers. The internal management is to be placed in the hands of a director land an associate director, who are to be appointed by the Ministry of Education on the recommendation Jof the Board and with the approval Jof the Foundation, It will be open to the public from July I and the hope is voiced by its sponsors that as a centre for intellectual communication and stimulation, the National Library of Peking may be the means of broadcasting the wisdom of the ages throughout this country and further that it may be jo medium of bringing to the West what the East may te able to con: tribute in return for what it has received, to the end that in the realm of knowledge and human understanding the East and West will be two in one."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.