Collections : [C.V. Starr East Asian Library]

The Chinese Diary Collection contains 850 volumes of hardbound and softbound diaries, dating from 1930s to 1980s. Some volumes are filled with writing from cover to cover; some, partially filled; and some, with brief inscriptions. It includes 81 volumes by different individuals of Republican Period (1912-1949) and 95 small volumes penned by an engineer, with scientific data and personal contents. The contents recorded in the dairies are significant, for instance, a set of 20 work diaries by a mid-rank public security cadre member during and after the Cultural Revolution offers detailed history of public security operations for two decades. A set of 10 work diaries by an officer working in a ministry of the State Council in the 1980s documented the political and daily lives before and after the Tiananmen Massacre in association with the students' pro-democracy movement.

The Wan-go H.C. Weng film collection (翁萬戈影視收藏) consists of motion picture film materials from the collection of Weng Wango (1918-2020), the noted art historian, art collector, and filmmaker. The collection consists of approximately 739 individual film elements, almost all 16mm, dating from circa 1944 to 1980. In addition to the 16mm film, there are three 35mm films and 28 1/4-inch open-reel audiotapes. The materials in the collection primarily relate to films produced by Weng, including series of films on Chinese history, Chinese cities and towns, and Chinese art. The collection also includes materials were collected by Weng but were, presumably, owned by him or his production company. Included in the collection are a wide variety of different types of film elements, including original film, master picture and sound elements, projection prints, work prints, trims, and outs. While some of Weng's films have been made available through various avenues, including the educational film distribution circuit, DVDs, and online, this is almost certainly the most complete collection of Weng's work, containing master and original materials for many of his films.