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006 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.9, 2017

Antique Protection Committee and assisted in the new government taking over antiques. Yet soon
intellectuals of the Republic of China including Hong were distrusted. In 1951 Hong left Nanjing
for Suzhou and studied in the East China People’s Revolution University. Although the curriculum
was unable to get, the dozens of pages of confession materials left by him revealed the frustration
of his generation. After the study, Hong could not work in Nanjing and went to the East China
Normal University in Shanghai in 1952. Until 1956 he had been working in the library’s reading
room rather than working as Deputy Director of the library as in his resume.
In 1956 Premier Zhou Enlai published the Report on the Issues about Intellectuals. Finally
intellectuals including Hong could render their services to the country. One of the leaders of the
East China Normal University recognized Hong when he visited the library. Then Hong was
appointed Deputy Director of the Library. In December 1956, the Preparatory Committee of the
Library Society of China was founded. Shen Zurong and Hong Fanwu, first-term members of the
Board of Directors of China Library Association became members of the Preparatory Committee.
No matter how the Library Science from 1949 to 1956 was commended, I believe that the
Library Science could not truly develop in an age when library scientists suffered exile and
disgrace. The year 1956 witnessed the very beginning of modern Chinese Library Science. In
1956 the National Libraries Working Conference and the National Academic Libraries Working
Conference were held. The Seminar of the Peking University Library Science Training Course and
the First Symposium on Library Science of the Nanjing Library were also held. The People’s Daily
published the editorial Library Work Marching towards Science. And the preparatory work of the
Library Society of China was initiated. Modern Library Science which had been suspended for
nearly 20 years due to wars and political factors restarted eventually.
The Bulletin of the China Society of Library Science—namely the Journal of Library Science
in China founded in 1957 has gone through confusion, hardship and glory with modern Chinese
Library Science for 60 years.

1 1957-1966: Wandering phase

After 1956’s restart, research achievements of librarians had been published by several journals
such as the Bulletin of the China Society of Library Science, the Bulletin of Chinese Academy of
Sciences and the Library since 1957. Generations of library scientists were devoted to theoretical
studies and great achievements were made. Those who were active included renowned library
scientists such as Du Dingyou and Liu Guojun, library scientists from the Boone Library School
such as Li Zhonglü, Qian Yaxin, Pi Gaopin and Mao Kun, overseas returnees (who retuned to
China after 1945) such as Chen Hongshun, Sun Yunchou, Guan Yixian and Deng Yanlin as well as
new scholars (who appeared after 1949) such as Huang Zongzhong, Zhou Wenjun, Xie Zhuohua,
Peng Feizhang. The best years during the period were 1957 and 1962 when academic papers
covered most of the domains of Library Science.