China launches digital archives of historical Mongolian books

Beijing: Chinese scientists have launched several digital archive projects to preserve many number of historical Mongolian books.

Engraved on wood, a rare Mongolian version of the Tibetan Buddhist classic "Kangyur" has been scanned and photographed to make a digital copy, according to Qi Jinyu, deputy head of the Mongolian language and literature working group, Xinhua news agency reported.

Published in 1720, the woodcut copy has 109 volumes and 50 million words. Its electronic edition is now available online.

China is home to more than 200,000 volumes of Mongolian books and documents, but many of them are in danger of discoloration and mildew.

Mongolian books often remain shelved, with common readers or scholars not having access to them.

About 6.5 million ethnic Mongolians live in eight Chinese provinces and regions.