Harvard–Yenching Library

The Harvard-Yenching Library is a research facility in Cambridge dedicated to East Asian studies, housing more than 1.5 million volumes across multiple formats and subjects. It stands as the largest collection of this scope outside Asia and serves scholars, students, and researchers exploring the region's history, literature, and languages.

The library was founded in 1928 as the Chinese-Japanese Library of the Harvard-Yenching Institute and relocated to its present location on Divinity Avenue in 1958. This move allowed the collection to expand and become a major hub for East Asian research in the Western world.

The collection holds materials in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Manchu, and Mongolian languages, reflecting the diversity of East Asian scholarship. Visitors can explore texts and sources across multiple linguistic and regional traditions that shape understanding of the region.

Visitors should take advantage of specialized research orientation sessions offered each semester to learn about Chinese, Japanese, and Korean electronic resources and databases. Planning a visit in advance helps maximize your time exploring the collections and accessing materials relevant to your research interests.

The Ming-Qing Women's Writings collection contains extensive records documenting women's lives and roles in China spanning from the 14th through the 20th centuries. This material is rarely found in other Western institutions and offers scholars rare windows into how women experienced and recorded their own histories.

Location: Massachusetts

Inception: 1928

Part of: Harvard Library

Address: 2 Divinity Ave. Cambridge MA 02138

Website: https://library.harvard.edu/libraries/yenching

GPS coordinates: 42.37750,-71.11430

Latest update: December 10, 2025 20:10