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China’s digitization push expands AI-powered access to ancient texts
A nationwide effort led by universities, tech firms and volunteers is feeding databases such as Shidian Guji, which has more than 70,000 works and added nearly 2,000 scientific works last month.
Artificial intelligence is starting to reshape how ancient Chinese literature is recovered and studied as China accelerates digitization of its historical archives, according to SCMP Economy.
Specialists previously spent years deciphering unfamiliar characters, copying manuscripts by hand, adding punctuation, comparing editions and tracing references across centuries of records. Now, AI-assisted tools are helping preserve fragile manuscripts and turning them into a more accessible digital resource.
One example is Shidian Guji, an online database launched in 2022 that was jointly developed by ByteDance and Peking University. It hosts more than 70,000 ancient works that are freely available, with tools for organizing, searching and reading classical texts, including modern language versions and chatbot-based interactions.
SCMP Economy also reports that last month the platform published a collection of almost 2,000 traditional scientific works spanning fields such as astronomy, mathematics, agriculture and engineering. A researcher cited in the story said the digital archive represents accumulated knowledge and forms part of China’s “indigenous knowledge system.”