Leiden University Libraries Digital Collections

The Asian Library in Leiden University holds a collection of 40 old books and manuscripts in Manchu. Most of these were described in Professor Hartmut Walravens’ German catalogue of 35 Manchu books (published as “Mandjurische Bücher im Sinologisch Instituut, Leiden,” in: Central Asiatic Journal, 30:3-4, 1986, pp. 275-284) and Koos Kuiper (Old Manchu and Mongolian Books and Manuscript, Introduction and catalogue, 2015). The collection also includes other items: four Imperial honorific decrees (Manchu and Chinese, dated 1761-1819), a description of the 1669’s solar eclipse in three languages (Latin, Chinese, Manchu), etc.

Ten items from our collection have been digitised with the support of the International Manchu Project, initiated by Dr. Lars Laamann at SOAS that aims to digitise and map all Manchu collections outside China and Taiwan. Also, the project aims to have all digitised material transcribed, and to make it available through the Leiden based platform Manc.hu.