Book collection is to collect, organize and keep books. China is one of the first countries in the world to set up state-level book collection institutions and librarians. Therefore, it can also be said that among all kinds of collections, book collection is one of the earliest collections.

According to the nature of book owners, the book collection system in China history can be divided into four categories: official collection (that is, national collection), private collection (that is, private collection), college collection and temple collection.

The well-documented National Library in China can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty. Li Er (Laozi), a famous thinker, is the earliest known curator of the National Library, and the curator at that time called it "the history of entrusted books". In the Qin Dynasty, the National Library was called "Stone Room". In the early Han Dynasty, books were widely collected, and six public libraries were established, namely Taichang, Taishi, Doctor, Yan Ge, Guangnei and Secret Room. There are ministers in the Wei State of the Three Kingdoms, and there are national libraries in the Chinese and foreign pavilions. The national collections are owned by Lantai and the ministers. In the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, the national collection was richer, but it was damaged due to overlapping dynasties or ideological reasons. In the Yuan Dynasty, Taoism was first revered and Buddhism was degraded, and then Buddhism was degraded, and all the books and tapes of Daozang and Xuanbubao were burned. Today, only one or two pages of Du Xuan treasures remain in the world. The Ming Dynasty was the prosperous period of ancient books collection in China. Not only the national library, but also the vassal kings who were enfeoffed liked to collect books and engrave books. From the attribute point of view, the collection of princes is also a form of collection between official collection and private collection. It was in the Qing Dynasty that China's collection of books, whether public or private, was in the golden age, and its collection scale and research on its collection were far superior to those of previous dynasties.

There are four books about water, fire, soldiers and insects. With the development of the times, the older the collection, the more difficult it is, so the category of rare books has been delayed. Ye Dehui, a bibliophile in the late Qing Dynasty, said: "People in the Southern Song Dynasty value the Northern Song Dynasty, people in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties value the Song Dynasty, and collectors in the Zhou Dynasty value the Yuan and Ming Dynasties." This explains the categories of books collected in past dynasties.

At the beginning of the invention of block printing in the middle Tang Dynasty, it was mainly used to print Buddhist scriptures, calligraphy books and almanac. It was not until the Northern Song Dynasty that printed books gradually replaced manuscripts and manuscripts and became the mainstream of books, so the manuscripts of Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties and before became ancient books in the eyes of Song people. However, it has been more than a thousand years since the early Song Dynasty, and the ancient books before the Song Dynasty have almost disappeared. At the beginning of the last century, the discovery of Buddhist scriptures in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes enabled people to see the treasures of Jin and Tang Dynasties. These rare books are still available today, and powerful friends should certainly buy these treasures.

By the mid-Ming Dynasty, books published in the Song Dynasty had been sought after by bibliophiles in the Qing Dynasty. Although there were tens of thousands of kinds of carved books in the Song Dynasty, it was rare at this time. Because of the earnest attitude of engraving books in Song Dynasty, the level of publishing, engraving and printing is excellent, and the paper and ink used are also very elegant. Coupled with a strong cultural atmosphere, it naturally became a treasure of book collectors in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the government's collection of books also increased greatly. In the sixth year of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Shiqi investigated the books in Wen Yuan and compiled the bibliography of Wen Yuan Pavilion, which recorded more than 43,200 volumes and 7,000 species. Unfortunately, the government's collection of books was neglected, and by the time Wen Yuan's collection was counted in the thirty-third year of Wanli, there were few books left. Coupled with the Ming and Wei wars, these collections were basically destroyed.

Private collections flourished in the Ming Dynasty. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, they were enfeoffed as prisoners. Because they did not master the military power, and the emperor gave a large number of rare books left over from the Song and Yuan Dynasties, many prisoners were keen on collecting books. For example, Judy, the king of Zhou, and Zhu Quan, the king of Ning, have collected a large number of rare books. In particular, Zhu Muju, the grandson of Judy V, bought Li Kaixian's books in Zhangqiu, Shandong Province, and built the Wanjuan Museum in Kaifeng, becoming the most famous bibliophile in the royal family.

There were hundreds of famous bibliophiles in Ming Dynasty, and more than ten of them had great influence on later generations. In particular, the rise of private libraries has made private collections more standardized. The famous Song Lian Luo Qing Mountain House has more than 80,000 books, and Ye Sheng _ Zhutang is famous for its manuscripts, with a collection of 22,700 books. Ye is particularly famous for his book seal, which reads: read carefully, lock carefully, collect carefully and stand upright. Children and grandchildren, only learn _, not filial. Fan Qin Tianyige, Jiajing forty years (AD 156 1), built Tianyige Library in Yinxian, his hometown, with a collection of more than 70,000 volumes. Tianyi Pavilion is well preserved and is the oldest library in China. Other famous buildings in the Ming Dynasty include the Youer Mountain House in Hu Yinglin, the Lianshengtang of Ye Qicheng, the Jigu Pavilion and the Jiangyun Building of Qian.