The National Library will reprint 556 ancient books as part of an ongoing effort to preserve traditional Chinese culture and promote academic research.

The books, mostly from the Ming (1368-1644 AD) and Qing (1644-1911 AD) dynasties, will be published over a three-year period, the library said here on Tuesday.

Modern printing techniques including microphotography, scanning and photocopying will be used. However, to preserve the original appearance, traditional Chinese rice paper, thread binding and blue cloth covers will be used, according to the library.

From 2002-2007, during the first phase of the project sponsored by the ministries of finance and culture, 758 books from the Tang (618-907 AD) to Yuan (1271-1368 AD) dynasties were reprinted.

Editor: Dong Jirong