After a detailed restoration, China's literary works finally opened to the general public with the official opening of the National Museum of Classic Books in Beijing.
The museum, established by the National Library of China after two years of preparation, is the country's first public institution to focus on exhibitions of ancient classic books.
The museum is home to 2.75 million copies of ancient classics (published before 1911), which include metal and stone rubbings, rare books and old maps, thanks to the library's huge collection of such items. The 800 most precious works are on display as an opening gift for visitors. This first exhibition, tentatively scheduled to run for three months, will begin to receive groups of visitors, numbering up to 2,000 people a day, on Aug 1. Individual visitors will be allowed to visit from Sept 9, the 105th anniversary of the library's founding.