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Highlights
The most comprehensive East Asian collection of any American university. We hold Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Western materials.
- Rare and ancient books
- Digitized scrolls and maps
- Local Chinese gazetteers
- Minority language materials
Contact
2 Divinity Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Cambridge, MA 02138
As of 2018, the Harvard-Yenching Library's collections exceed 1.5 million volumes, including over 900,000 Chinese, 400,000 Japanese, over 200,000 Korean, 30,000 Vietnamese, 55,000 Western languages, 4,000 Tibetan, 3,500 Manchu, and 500 Mongolian. The library also holds many rare and special collections, many of which have been digitized and are available to view on HOLLIS.
General Collections
Collection
Chinese Collection
Collection
Chinese Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library collects Chinese-language research materials in all formats, with a focus on the humanities and social sciences.
Collection
Japanese Collection
Collection
Japanese Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library's Japanese Collection focuses on humanities and social sciences in the field of Japanese studies in the Japanese language.
Collection
Korean Collection
Collection
Korean Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library's Korean Collection covers everything from archaeology to contemporary economic development.
Collection
Chinese Collection
Collection
Chinese Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library collects Chinese-language research materials in all formats, with a focus on the humanities and social sciences.
Collection
Japanese Collection
Collection
Japanese Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library's Japanese Collection focuses on humanities and social sciences in the field of Japanese studies in the Japanese language.
Collection
Korean Collection
Collection
Korean Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library's Korean Collection covers everything from archaeology to contemporary economic development.
Collection
Vietnamese Collection
Collection
Vietnamese Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library's Vietnamese Collection features materials focusing on humanities and social sciences, particularly history and literature.
Collection
Tibetan Collection
Collection
Tibetan Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library materials on Buddhism, history, and literature.
Collection
Mongolian and Manchu Collection
Collection
Mongolian and Manchu Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library's Manchu-language and Mongolian-language holdings
Collection
Western Languages Collection
Collection
Western Languages Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library's Western Languages Collection complements its East Asian language collections.
Special Collections
Collection
Ming-Qing Women's Writings
Collection
Ming-Qing Women's Writings
A valuable resource for scholars studying women's roles in China from the 14th through the 20th centuries.
Collection
Manchukuo Collection
Collection
Manchukuo Collection
View material related to the Pan-Asian state once located in northeastern China and controlled by imperial Japan.
Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library Digital Maps
Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library Digital Maps
View hundreds of maps of China, Japan, Korea, and other regions in East Asia.
Collection
Ming-Qing Women's Writings
Collection
Ming-Qing Women's Writings
A valuable resource for scholars studying women's roles in China from the 14th through the 20th centuries.
Collection
Manchukuo Collection
Collection
Manchukuo Collection
View material related to the Pan-Asian state once located in northeastern China and controlled by imperial Japan.
Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library Digital Maps
Collection
Harvard-Yenching Library Digital Maps
View hundreds of maps of China, Japan, Korea, and other regions in East Asia.
Collection
Chinese Republican Period Collection
Collection
Chinese Republican Period Collection
More than 1,000 publications from China's republican period 民國時期文獻.
Collection
Early Photography of Japan
Collection
Early Photography of Japan
An online collection of more than 40 souvenir photograph albums and illustrated publications from across three Harvard libraries.
Collection
Chinese Maritime Customs
Collection
Chinese Maritime Customs
Chinese Maritime Customs 中國舊海關資料
Collection
Naxi Manuscripts
Collection
Naxi Manuscripts
Hundreds of manuscripts in one of the last widely used pictographic languages in the world.
Collection
Hedda Morrison Photographs of China
Collection
Hedda Morrison Photographs of China
Photos taken by Hedda Morrison in China, 1933–1946.
Collection
The Rev. Claude L. Pickens, Jr. Collection on Muslims in China
Collection
The Rev. Claude L. Pickens, Jr. Collection on Muslims in China
Images of Muslims and Christian missionaries working among them in Western China in the 1920s and 1930s form the core of this collection.
Digital Collection
Chinese Rare Books
Digital Collection
Chinese Rare Books
With over 9,600 items, Harvard-Yenching's rare book collection is one of the largest of its kind in the Western world.
Collection
The Japanese Art and Design Collection
Collection
The Japanese Art and Design Collection
A trove of photographs, prints and design samples from the collection of Ernest Goodrich Stillman.
Digital Collection
Chinese Rubbings Collection
Digital Collection
Chinese Rubbings Collection
The Fine Arts Library and Harvard-Yenching Library holds rubbings of objects that date from the Qin Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty.
Collection
Souvenir de Chine
Collection
Souvenir de Chine
A collection of photographs taken during the Second Sino-Japanese War 中日战争照片集, featuring the occupation of Shanghai and Nanking.
Collection
Edwards Bangs Drew Chinese Maritime Customs Service Photographs
Collection
Edwards Bangs Drew Chinese Maritime Customs Service Photographs
Documenting clothing, customs, and daily life in 19th-century China — as well as Drew's life and career.
Collection
Joseph F. Rock Collection
Collection
Joseph F. Rock Collection
View historic photographs of China taken by explorer Joseph Francis Charles Rock.
Collection
Carter D. Holton Collection
Collection
Carter D. Holton Collection
See more than 5,000 historical photos taken in Northwestern China
Collection
Bruno Petzold Scrolls Collection
Collection
Bruno Petzold Scrolls Collection
Edo manuscripts and scrolls on Buddhism from Bruno Petzold
Collection
Fairbank and Reischauer Lantern Slide Collection
Collection
Fairbank and Reischauer Lantern Slide Collection
Take a closer look at historic teaching materials developed for a class on East Asian culture in the early mid-twentieth century.
Research Guides
Using the Library
Special Collections Requests
Submit scanning requests for special collections to us through our new online request portal.
Notice: Lending to Non-Harvard Institutions
Following recent operational changes, Harvard-Yenching Library (HMY) now provides Interlibrary Loan services to other institutions via Widener Library Resource Sharing (HLS). Read more about submitting requests.
Publications
The Harvard-Yenching Library publishes several series, including bibliographical, studies, and reprint series.
How To...
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