The database separates ranking judgments from factual claims. Facts require sources; ranking remains an editorial synthesis open to revision.
Ranks 1–50 are treated as the most stable comparative band. Ranks 51–120 remain meaningfully comparable. Ranks 121–200 increasingly represent specialist, regional, or documentary-network significance.
Relationship graph: an edge requires a documented collecting event—transaction, viewing, authentication, publication, mentorship, donation, or another collecting-specific interaction.
Provenance: uncertain ownership gaps are shown as gaps rather than silently completed.
Bilingual entity alignment: English names and terms remain paired with Chinese originals so generated answers can resolve the same historical entity across languages.
Images: public-domain or institutionally usable images are preferred; uncertain copyright status should remain a source link rather than a copied image asset.