Page 24 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

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KE Ping / Ideological system of library science in China: abstraction, core and value 023

the contradiction between them. Therefore, the essence of the theory of contradictions is the idea
of collection and utilization.
The idea of collection and utilization is a summarization and refinement of the thoughts of library
science in ancient China. There were various activities of book collecting, including book seeking,
identification, transcription, book-basking, protection and management. The relatively scientific
and unique book-collecting methods and theories had taken shape, such as the “methods of book-
basking” by SIMA Guang in the Northern Song Dynasty, the “eight methods of seeking books” by
ZHENG Qiao in the Southern Song Dynasty as well as the “three principles of buying books” and
the “five methods of identifying books” by QI Chenghan in the Ming Dynasty. In ancient China,
there was a relatively thorough national book-collecting institution and system, including official
collection of books, private collection of books, academic collection of books, and monastic
collection of books. In the preface of the Book of Sui·Jing Ji Zhi, the idea of collection and
utilization was set forth for the first time: “collecting books and reading can improve ourselves”,
which “indicated that the development of library science in ancient China entered a new stage, and
WEI Zheng’s understanding of library science was equivalent to the level of Europe in the 14th
century” [12]55 .The History of the Imperial Library (Lin Tai Gu Shi) by CHENG Ju in the Southern
Song Dynasty in 1131 is the first book about library theory. It is the first book to expound that the
national library had the functions of talent cultivation, reference service and personnel selection. It
signifies that the ideological system of library science in ancient China had taken initial shape and
served as the milestone in the development of ancient library science from the budding stage to
blooming.
The idea of collection and utilization in ancient China covered a wide range, which is far beyond
the scope of the western library. According to SUN Qingzeng’s Summary of Book Collecting
(a book addressing techniques in private book collection in the Qing Dynasty), book collecting
included purchase, identification, transcription, collation, binding, cataloging, collecting, book-
basking and so on. However, previous studies laid emphasis on “collection” and came to the
conclusion that “collection is attached more importance than utilization”, which has resulted in
people’s stereotyped impression on the ancient book collection and the orientation of depreciating
the “idea of collection” in ancient China while appreciating the “idea of utilization” in the West.
After a thorough study of the idea of collection and utilization, it is not difficult to find that its
purpose was to collect for use. In earlier times, books were only for the use of a few people. Later
this idea progressed and thus the connotation and extension of “utilization” continued to expand.
In the Song Dynasty, the “utilization” of collection had been discussed and practiced. It was
stated in Tong Zhi that “thousands of chapters and tens of thousands of volumes are in circulation
every day” [13] . The History of the Imperial Library discussed not only purchase, organization and
reservation of books, but also utilization. In the Song Dynasty, LI’s House (LI Gongze) was the
first to make private collection available for public use. YAO Shiling in the Ming Dynasty put
[14]
forward the idea of “collecting books for dissemination” . CAO Rong in the late Ming Dynasty