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Chinese Special Collections

The China Collection of the UHM Library is a research-level collection consisting of materials about China in Chinese, western languages (mostly English), Japanese, Korean, Russian and other Asian languages. In addition to materials physically housed in the UHM Library, the Library has permanent access to over 3,000 Chinese e-books and over 21, 000 Chinese e-journals. 

The China Collection is particularly strong in history, Chinese language and literature (especially classical texts and traditional drama and fiction), Chinese philosophy and religion, and Chinese arts (especially Chinese architecture and paintings). To support teaching, learning, and research related to China at UHM, the collection has a growing number of resources on social-economic and political conditions of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.  

Special Collections

Lian Huan Hua 连环画 Collection 

The Library has collected more than 150 titles of "lian huan hua" (连环画, graphic novel)that were published mostly during the Cultural Revolution, particularly between 1971-1976, when the publication of lian huan hua was rare and difficult at that time.

The covers of books in the Collection have been digitalized and available at: http://digicoll.manoa.hawaii.edu/storybook/

Shackford Collection of Photographs of China

Contains 304 photographstaken during the late 1920s and early 1930s by John B. Shackford during his travels and tenure as an English teacher in southern China. All photos in this collection have been digitized and available freely online. The titles of the photos are taken from Shackford's original hand-written notes identifying the pictures. However, in some cases, the writing is illegible. If you can help identify a place or name, we welcome your comments. The direct url to this digital collection: https://digicoll.manoa.hawaii.edu/shackford/

 

San Cai Tu Hui 三才图会. 1609.

The San Cai Tu Hui encyclopedia is one of approximately 120,000 volumes of stitched-bound Chinese books. Most of the books were printed in the Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) periods. San Cai Tu Hui literally means "Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Three Powers,' which are Heaven, Earth, and Man. The collection deals with all aspects of Chinese culture, but is particularly strong in medicine, Buddhism, history, and literature. Divided into 14 main subject divisions, sub-divided into many topics. Contains many illustrations, diagrams, and portraits. It is the source of most of the stylized portraits of such personages as the Yellow Emperor, Confucius, and the ancient emperors that are found in many reference books, textbooks, and tourist manuals.

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