The Chinese collection currently comprises approximately 100,000 to 120.000 titles in about 215.000 volumes. The Chinese holdings have the longest tradition among the East-Asian collections. An exlibris by Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria of the year 1618 represents the oldest documentation of holdings and decorates the Western-style book binding of the Chinese household encyclopedia "Qnshu boji". Subsequently, during the 17th and 18th centuries, only very few books were acquired by the library. It mostly received presents to express gratitude for the support of the Jesuit mission. However, up to the middle of the 19th century, three mass purchases allowed the library to establish one of the largest Chinese collections in the Western world. Karl Friedrich Neumann had chosen approximately 3,500 Chinese books in Canton in 1830/31, to which about 2,700 volumes were added by the purchase of Onorato Martucci's collection in 1851. Finally, the library of Etienne Quatremère, which was purchased in 1858, contained another 2,000 Chinese and Manchurian works. Concerning the 20th century, two activities are noteworthy: On the occasion of a purchasing journey in the year 1929, Georg Reismüller bought around 18,500 Chinese books on behalf of the "Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft" (Emergency Association of German Science). The library of Carl Hentze, purchased in 1953, comprises primarily literature on the early history, archaeology and art of China.

 

The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek holds Germany's largest collection of Chinese printed works before 1911. About 100 titles are from the period of the Song dynasty up to Ming dynasty (10th to 17th century). The oldest Chinese print owned by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, the "Baoqieyin tuoluonijing", was crafted in 975. Many comprehensive works were acquired as reproductions exclusively by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek as the only German library, such as the copies of 4,000 titles of the "Peiping Rare Books" on 969 microfilm reels, or the reproductions concerning the Siku quanshu.