With their remarkable spirituality and materiality, ancient books play a vitally important role in bearing the memories and wisdom of the Chinese nation. Indeed, they have helped to safeguard and extend the Chinese civilization, which boasts a unique length, breadth, and depth.

The Song and Yuan dynasties see a peak in the growth of Chinese culture, which entails a golden age of ancient books. In this period, papermaking technology matured, ink manufacturing entered a stage of transformation, and printing technology reached perfection. Books of the time were mainly made of paper, with various binding formats, including scroll binding, concertina binding, butterfly binding, and wrapped-back binding, and were handwritten, block-printed, or rubbed from steles. They show beauty in fonts, typography, and binding, and therefore are objects of desire for collectors of all time.

The Shanghai Museum is listed in the first batch both of the Nationally Key Institutions and of the Municipally Key Institutions for Safeguarding Ancient Books. We always attach great importance to the editing, research, preservation, and display of ancient books. To implement the governmental Opinions on Advancing the Work Concerning Ancient Books in the New Era and to respond to the concern of the public, 66 handwritten copies, block-printed copies, and rubbings of the Song and Yuan dynasties have been selected in this exhibition for our visitors.