Feature: Ancient libraries in China, Italy greet World Book Day

NINGBO, China/FLORENCE, Italy, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Tianyi Pavilion, the oldest existing private library in China's Ningbo city, and the Laurentian Library (the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana) in Florence, Italy, are situated at the two ends of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

Bearing the responsibility to promote cultural exchanges and preserve the unique cultural memories of humanity, the two ancient libraries with more than 400 years of history greeted this year's World Book Day, which falls on Sunday.

The Tianyi Pavilion was founded in 1561 during the Ming Dynasty by a senior official named Fan Qin, when he returned to his hometown of Ningbo in east China after nearly 30 years of government service, to store his private collection of books.

With the reputation of a book city of China, the Tianyi Pavilion still maintains the appearance of a two-story wooden building as it did when first built under the efforts of Fan's family, as well as the care and protection of local society.

A large collection of about 300,000 ancient books has been well-preserved, and the protection area of the library has expanded to 30,000 square meters.

Around the same period of history, the renowned Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet Michelangelo was commissioned to design the Laurentian Library. After decades of construction, the library was officially opened in 1571.

The library was built to house the manuscripts and books belonging to the Medici family, and now it provides over 11,000 handwritten manuscripts and 4,500 early printed books for the world as a landmark of the Renaissance.

The two libraries are linked not only by their shared historical significance but also by the longstanding friendship between China and Italy.

Trade routes have been opened up and exchanges in culture and art have expanded with the Maritime Silk Road connecting Ningbo, where the Tianyi Pavilion is located, with Florence, where the Laurentian Library is situated.

A treasured copper engraving, commemorating the military victory of China's Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong and created by Lang Shining, or Giuseppe Castiglione, an Italian missionary, is a piece of the important collection of the Tianyi Pavilion. It is regarded as a masterpiece combining the Chinese and European cultures.

"Zhao Jun Chu Sai," a traditional Chinese scroll painting made of silk and satin featuring the story that a Chinese beauty in China's Han Dynasty, who gave up comfortable palace life and chose to marry the monarch of Xiongnu to make peace, is a treasure of the Laurentian Library, telling the vivid Chinese history in Europe and showcasing the unique charm of Chinese painting.

Today, the two libraries are exploring new ways of communication and cooperation in the areas of document conservation, collection exhibitions, and sharing of experience and achievement, building a multi-channel and wide-ranging platform to promote common development.

Stressing the importance of books at an online event hosted by the Tianyi Pavilion in November 2022, Director of the Laurentian Library Silvia Scipioni said "regardless of how the world changes and how the means of preserving culture evolves, books have always been one of the most cherished parts of human civilization. As the main carrier of physical book preservation, the library has a unique cultural and historical value in preserving the common memory of mankind."

"Recently, we are communicating with the Laurentian Library in Italy to prepare for a dialogue on 'book restorers' in mid-May," Zhuang Lizhen, the Tianyi Pavilion's director, told Xinhua.

"On World Book Day, we appeal to everyone to pay more attention to paper books and book collections and love reading and collecting. Let's spread the fragrance of books further, and let the power of excellent Chinese classics influence more people," he added.

The directors of the two libraries expressed their common wish: Let the classic books, as human cultural heritage, continue contributing wisdom to human society in the digital age, and allow books to continue illuminating the path of human progress.