Librarianship in contemporary Shanghai mirrors the city's economic prosperity and shares the bitterness of its social vicissitude. In 1930s, the city enjoyed its cultural vitality and the number of libraries reached 229. During the anti-Japanese war, especially on the 28 January, Incident of 1932 and the 13 August, Incident of 1937, Shanghai was attacked by Japanese bombs and the city suffered heavy loss and library activity came to a standstill. The article recalls the details of the huge disaster on libraries and books and its impact on the city's cultural history.