Macau and Guangzhou established first English library in China

Macau and Guangzhou have established the first English language library in China, according to Mr Rogério Miguel Puga, assistant professor of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the New University of Lisbon, in an article entitled “The first English language library in China: The English Factory Library (Canton-Macau, 1806-1835)” to be published in the Oxford University Press journal Notes and Queries. His research shows that the library was founded and used by Anglophone merchants and residents of both Macau and Guangzhou. Books would “travel” with traders commuting between the two cities from 1806 until 1834, when the library closed its doors after the East India Company monopoly in China came to an end.  In another academic article published in 2012, Rogério Miguel Puga reached the conclusion that the first museum in China opened, in fact, in Macau and not Shanghai as initially thought..  This was further articulated in a press release.  The article was published by the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, from Cambridge University Press. The article on the English language library will be published in December.