The National Library of China is the research and methodological center for public libraries
The structure of the network of public libraries in China, their place in the unified library system of the country are discussed: their material, technical, resource and service potential is characterized as the basis for building a knowledge-based economy in China by 2050. The content of the first in the history of Chinese librarianship the national legislative act on libraries - Chinese People’s Republic Law on Public Libraries, which came into effect in January 2018, is disclosed. The role of the Central National Library of China as a scientific and methodological center for managing public libraries is identified, and the main directions of its scientific and methodological activities are described; in particular, building the legislative corps for the Chinese library system, standardization of information services and technologies; corporate cataloguing, implementation of innovative (network, mobile, virtual) services, aspirations for innovative experiments, the acquisition of practical skills in working with high-tech equipment, building the organizational foundations for acquiring Chinese National Digital Library and National Digital Children’s Library; preservation and conservation of library collections, including their digitization, and participation in various forms of professional development.