Collections - East Asian Collection

Our collections

Library resources in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean

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Utagawa Kunisada II (歌川国定, 1823 – 20 July 1880)
Presented by Nancy Li

Chinese collection

Japanese collection

Our Japanese collection is strongest in literature and history, with a particular emphasis on modern Japanese literature. We have a good collection of complete works of representative modern writers and poets. Classical Japanese literature in original text is also well represented, and a wide range of academic journals and reprints of Japanese literary journals are available. In addition, we hold valuable sets such as Nihon koten bungaku taikei (日本古典文学大系) and Nihon koten zenshū (日本古典全集).
In history, the emphasis is on the period since Meiji (1868). The collection includes important historical sources such as Dai Nihon shiryō (大日本史料) and Nihon Shiseki Kyōkai sōsho (日本史籍協會叢書).
Japanese art is also well represented in the Art Folio Collection, and we receive regular donations from the National Art Center, Tokyo (国立新美術館).

Go to the Department of Japanese Studies

Korean collection

The Korean collection consists mainly of books on history, religion, media, language, archaeology, and politics. We annually receive donations from the Korea Foundation and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), which together make up a large part of our Korean collection. We also purchase books specifically to support the University's teaching and research programs in Korean studies which commenced in 1990.

Go to the Department of Korean Studies

Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art materials
The Library is fortunate to receive a portion of the bequest of Dr. M. J. Morrissey to purchase materials on East Asian art. The memorial fund is in honour of Arthur Lindsay Sadler, Professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Sydney, 1922-1947. The bequest enables the Library to purchase many expensive art materials each year. The East Asian Collection holds many unique and rare Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art materials.
Japanese art catalogues
The Library is one of the three depository libraries in the world to have received Japanese art catalogues from the Japan Association for Cultural Exchange (1994-2004), and from the new National Art Center, Tokyo (国立新美術館), since 2005. An author search using "JAC project" in Library Search will find all the Japanese art catalogues we hold.
Films & film-related materials
Our collection includes a significant number of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean films. Since 2006, we have also been adding Chinese TV drama series to our collection to support the teaching and research programs at the University.

We have been one of the recipient libraries of the Support Program for Hub-Library for Korean Film Studies from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) since 2007. A large number of Korean DVDs and film-related books are available.