An archive with a collection of more than 40,000 antique books has been inaugurated in Beijing.

The archive is affiliated with People's Education Press -- a renowned publishing house in China. Its collection mainly consists of manuscripts and woodblock-printing books in the traditional thread-bound form, according to a press release from the publishing house earlier this week.

The collection includes ancient classics, history books, literature books as well as some rare editions of school textbooks published in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Antique books are important carriers of the Chinese cultural tradition, said Wang Richun, chief editor of the publishing house.

The archive will try its best to digitalize its collection and re-print books with academic significance, Wang said.