Relic books on display

Beijing residents can book an appointment at Peking University Library to view ancient Chinese books that the university recently spent 100 million yuan ($16 million) to purchase, the Beijing News reported.

A Japanese company acquired the books in 1917 from Chinese collector Dong Kang, but decided in 2005 to sell the volumes. With the support of the Chinese government, which put up half of the purchase money, Peking University completed the deal. Most of the volumes were produced in the Song (960-1279), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The university plans to build a new library to house the ancient books.