Li Ruihuan, a member of the Political Bureau of Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, on Thursday hailed the recent completion of a 1,800-volume supplement of a huge collection of historical books, the Siku Quanshu, saying the work will benefit both people living today and generations to come.

Li, also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks at a seminar celebrating the completion of the supplement.

The 3,600-volume Siku Quanshu, or the Complete Library in the Four Branches of Literature, was compiled from 1772 to 1782 during China's Qing Dynasty.

The Siku Quanshu and the current supplement are rich sources of Chinese culture, which should be preserved, studied and carried forward, said Li.

The supplement, which covers 5,213 kinds of books and other publications, includes some important works that were not previously compiled into the Siku Quanshu. Compilation of the supplement took eight years.

With the completion of the complementary part, the Siku Quanshu has included nearly all key classical Chinese literature, experts to the seminar agreed.

(People's Daily May 10, 2002)