Everyday Chinese people are to get the chance to safeguard their national cultural heritage, and it'll only cost them 92 yuan! By parting with a little over US$10, people can now personally protect and repair precious books for generations to come. Forty "Dunhuang Manuscripts" and some ancient sutras were among the first batch of books to benefit from the new scheme.

The first people to reach into their pockets to put their culture back on the shelf were at the National Library on Thursday morning to receive their honorary certificates.

Established in 1909, the National Library boasts a treasure trove of more than 21 million ancient volumes, including cultural treasures like the Yongle Encyclopedia and the Complete Library in Four Divisions.

Even though the library's rare collection of books are very precious, many have been damaged over the years and an estimated half a million of them are in need of immediate repair.

The Chinese government used to allocate specific funding to repair ancient tomes, but the task is too big. Even though 60,000 books have been properly restored, hundreds of thousands more are still in urgent need of a facelift and the Chinese public are being asked to come to their rescue.

"Starting from 2003, the National Library will publish an annual book list. It will contain the specific funding needed for the protection and repair of all the ancient books," said Chen Li, deputy curator of National Library.

Anyone who wants to save these historical tomes can contact the library directly or through the Beijing Branch of the China Industrial and Commercial Bank. Donations can vary from a minimum of 92 yuan up to 10,000 yuan.

(CCTV.com August 10, 2003)