National Library of China

What National Library of China does

The National Library of China (中国国家图书馆), founded in 1909 and headquartered in Beijing, is China's largest national library and a government state institution under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It operates three primary physical sites — the main south and north halls in Zhongguancun, the Children's Library, and the Ancient Books Library at Wenjin Street (currently closed for renovation since April 2, 2024) — and delivers a platform-plus-modules digital architecture centered on the Reader Cloud Portal (读者云门户) for online reading and the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) for catalog and circulation. Its proprietary digital products cover ancient book and special collections, contemporary and Republican-era books, the Yongle Encyclopedia digital collection, audio/video resources, the Wenjin Books platform, and open courses. The business model is government appropriations-funded, providing free public access to physical and digital collections with freemium reader registration. End-user segments include the general public, researchers, children, seniors, and users with disabilities (served via the China Digital Library for the Blind and the China Digital Library for People with Disabilities), while B2B-style services are provided to the broader Chinese library system through the Joint Cataloging Center, ISSN China National Center, and standards bodies.

Name

National Library of China

Legal name

中国国家图书馆

Website

https://nlc.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Library of China is a government-funded national library founded in 1909, providing free public access to physical and digital collections through the Reader Cloud Portal, OPAC, and specialized services for researchers, children, seniors, and disabled users across China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

Keywords

• National library services
• Ancient books preservation
• Digital library platform
• Public reading services
• Special collections archiving

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Library Services: As a national public institution, the library provides services primarily funded through government appropriations. Services include free public access to physical collections, reading rooms, and digital resources. Some specialized services may require reader registration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Library of China operates as China's national public library, providing free physical and digital access to ancient books, rare manuscripts, contemporary literature, academic databases, and multimedia resources. Core services include reading rooms, borrowing privileges, the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), the Reader Cloud Portal for online digital resources, ancient book preservation programs, specialized services for children and visually impaired users, and national-level cooperative services to other libraries.

Product overview

The National Library of China operates as a comprehensive national library system offering both physical and digital services. Its digital products are delivered through a platform-plus-modules architecture centered around the 读者云门户 (Reader Cloud Portal) for online digital resource access and the 联机公共目录查询系统 (OPAC) for catalog and circulation services. The core digital resources include specialized databases for ancient books (古籍特藏, 永乐大典, 中华古籍智慧化服务平台), contemporary and historical books (当代图书, 近代图书), multimedia content (馆藏音视频, 国图公开课), and literary resources (文津图书, 文津经典诵读). Specialized services target different user groups including children (少儿馆), seniors (关爱夕阳老年课堂), and people with disabilities (中国盲人数字图书馆, 中国残疾人数字图书馆). Major national projects include the 中华古籍保护计划, 革命文献与民国时期文献保护计划, 中华传统文化百部经典, 全国智慧图书馆体系, 数字图书馆推广工程, and 国家数字图书馆工程. The library also integrates third-party databases including CNKI, Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index journals, medical journals, and international academic databases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 读者云门户: Digital resources portal providing online access to self-built, commercially purchased, and collaboratively built digital resources including books, ancient texts, dissertations, journals, and audio-visual materials
• 文津搜索
• 国图公开课
• 中华古籍智慧化服务平台
• 中国记忆
• 国家图书馆法律馆

Products and services

• Online Public Access Catalog (联机公共目录查询系统) OPAC system providing access to the National Library's collection catalog, enabling users to search collections, make reservations, and manage borrowing and renewals. It is the primary entry point for general readers and researchers.
• Reader Cloud Portal (读者云门户) Online reading and playback service providing access to digital resources including books, ancient texts, dissertations, journals, and audio-visual materials from self-built, commercially purchased, and collaboratively built resources with regional libraries. Available to registered library users.
• Ancient Books and Special Collections (古籍特藏) Comprehensive digitized ancient book and special collection resources including materials from the library's own collections, other institutions' resources, and a full-text search and analysis system for ancient texts. Targeted at scholars and researchers of classical Chinese studies.
• Contemporary Books (当代图书) Digital library containing over 100,000 e-books covering literature, philosophy, history, biography, classics, science fiction, children's books, economics, and management, sourced from authoritative publishers with synchronized updates of popular film and TV tie-in books. Open to general readers.
• Modern Books (近代图书) Online resource service for Republican-era literature including Republican-era books, journals, newspapers, and legal resources available for online reading. Targeted at researchers studying modern Chinese history.
• National Library Open Courses (国图公开课) Educational platform leveraging the National Library's vast collection resources, offering thematic courses and reading recommendations to the public. Targeted at lifelong learners and general public.
• Library Audio and Video Collections (馆藏音视频) Feature library of special lectures and audio/video digital resources from the National Library, providing public audiovisual services. Targeted at general public interested in lectures and documentary content.
• Yongle Encyclopedia Digital Platform (永乐大典) Part of the systematic protection, research, and digitization project for the Yongle Encyclopedia, with the first collection containing 40 volumes and 75 chapters from the National Library's collection. Targeted at historians, classical studies researchers, and the general public.
• Chinese Ancient Books Intelligent Service Platform (中华古籍智慧化服务平台) Important achievement of the National Smart Library System, dedicated to providing open, shared, comprehensive, and diverse ancient book resources with technology-enabled and efficient knowledge services for the public. Targeted at researchers, scholars, and general readers of classical Chinese texts.
• Intelligent Q&A (智能问答) AI-powered question answering system allowing users to ask questions online and receive automated reader assistance. Targeted at registered readers using library digital services.
• China Digital Library for the Blind (中国盲人数字图书馆) Digital library services specifically designed for visually impaired users, providing accessible reading formats and assistive content. Targeted at visually impaired readers nationwide.
• China Digital Library for People with Disabilities (中国残疾人数字图书馆) Digital library services for people with disabilities, providing accessible digital reading content. Targeted at users with disabilities across China.
• National Library Digital Shared Space 'Caring for Sunset Years' Senior Classes (关爱夕阳老年课堂) Educational services for seniors provided through the digital shared space, offering digital literacy and content tailored for elderly users. Targeted at senior citizens.
• Children's Library (少儿馆) Dedicated library services and resources for children, including age-appropriate collections and reading spaces open Tuesday-Sunday 9:00-17:00. Targeted at children and young readers.
• China Memory Project (中国记忆) Special project documenting and preserving China's cultural heritage and historical memory through curated digital content. Targeted at researchers, educators, and general public interested in cultural heritage.
• Legal Library (法律馆) Specialized library and information service for legal resources, providing access to Chinese legal materials and government legal information. Targeted at legal professionals, scholars, and citizens needing legal information.
• National Museum of Classical Books (国家典籍博物馆) Museum dedicated to classical books and documents, hosting cultural exhibitions and educational programs. Targeted at general public, scholars, and cultural tourists.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Local and Regional Libraries of ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative partnerships with local libraries throughout China for joint construction and development of digital resources. The Reader Cloud Portal specifically aggregates resources from self-built, commercially purchased, and collaboratively developed digital collections with provincial and municipal library partners.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: Germany's national library, combining legal deposit, the German National Library catalogue, and large-scale digitization efforts — a Western European counterpart to NLC's national-preservation role.
• National Library of Korea: South Korea's national library, hosting legal deposit collections, digital library platforms, and national knowledge services — directly comparable as an East Asian national library with similar digitization programs.
• National Diet Library: Japan's national library, performing legal deposit, operating the National Diet Library Digital Collections, and serving as both a parliamentary and public library — a regional peer with similar dual physical/digital service model.
• Russian State Library: Russia's national public library and a major repository of heritage and contemporary collections, operating digital services and serving as a comparable state-administered national library model in the post-Soviet space.
• Russian National Library: Russia's other national library (St. Petersburg), historically focused on heritage and manuscript preservation, providing a parallel institutional model for managing irreplaceable national book collections.

Direct peers

• British Library: The United Kingdom's national library, holding vast heritage collections, operating digital platforms such as British Library Digital, and providing research and reference services comparable to NLC's combined physical/digital mandate.
• Library of Congress: The United States' national library and primary federal research institution, with parallel legal deposit, large-scale digital collections, national cataloging standards (LOC), and public-facing reading rooms — the closest structural analog to NLC's role in China.
• Bibliothèque nationale de France: France's national library with legal deposit responsibilities, large historic and digital collections (Gallica), and extensive public service programs — structurally analogous to NLC's preservation and access mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nlc123
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-library-of-china

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Library of China