Between 1940 and 1946, the IHP due to the Sino-Japanese War relocated to Lizhuang, Sichuan, where we were temporarily located at the Zhang family estate in Banli’ao. Despite the difficult conditions, including poor transportation and limited supplies, IHP staff remained markedly dedicated to academic research and institutional operations.
The Archives has preserved early IHP administrative records, many of which reflect the practical challenges faced in day-to-day operations. This item is “Zhuang No. 38” expense list from 1944, documenting miscellaneous expenditures for March of that year.
Details include expenditures such as transcription fees for the monographs of IHP research fellows and transportation fees, namely a palanquin, for a doctor’s trip to administer smallpox vaccinations. Additionally, one can note the purchase of mousetraps and a large black cat for “rat control in the library.” Seemingly, not only were IHP personnel affected by the humidity and rampant pests and rodents but library resources as well.
The records show that the “library cat” cost 900 yuan, one of the highest expenditures on the expense list. For comparative purposes, in October 1943, the base living allowance for civil servants in Nanxi District, Sichuan, was 500 yuan, which was raised to 1,100 in May 1944. The 900-yuan black cat, a form of pest control, thus represented a significant level of investment and determination in protecting library collections.
The Archives has preserved early IHP administrative records, many of which reflect the practical challenges faced in day-to-day operations. This item is “Zhuang No. 38” expense list from 1944, documenting miscellaneous expenditures for March of that year.
Details include expenditures such as transcription fees for the monographs of IHP research fellows and transportation fees, namely a palanquin, for a doctor’s trip to administer smallpox vaccinations. Additionally, one can note the purchase of mousetraps and a large black cat for “rat control in the library.” Seemingly, not only were IHP personnel affected by the humidity and rampant pests and rodents but library resources as well.
The records show that the “library cat” cost 900 yuan, one of the highest expenditures on the expense list. For comparative purposes, in October 1943, the base living allowance for civil servants in Nanxi District, Sichuan, was 500 yuan, which was raised to 1,100 in May 1944. The 900-yuan black cat, a form of pest control, thus represented a significant level of investment and determination in protecting library collections.