A historian hid research in children's notebooksSourced
His 70,000-book library was sealed.
He wrote in school copybooks.
During China's Cultural Revolution, historian Gu Jiegang lost access to a library of more than 70,000 volumes. To keep researching without attracting attention, he wrote in primary-school copybooks left on his children's desks, calling them his 'special books'.
A vast library closed;
small notebooks stayed open.
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Gu Jiegang · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-01