Taiwan displays ancient culture in Budapest

2016/10/21

A joint exhibition by the national libraries of Taiwan and Hungary kicked off Oct. 15 in Budapest, offering a rare glimpse at perfect replicas of historical Chinese books and literary documents.

Titled “The Imprint of Civilization: The Amazing Journey of Books,” the show runs until Dec. 15 at National Szechenyi Library and includes copies of ancient manuscripts from influential Chinese writers, bronze inscriptions and oracle stones, as well as examples of woodblock prints, all provided by Taiwan’s National Central Library.

“This marks the first time NCL has brought its collection to the beautiful city of Budapest and the magnificent National Szechenyi Library,” Tao Wen-lung, head of the Taipei Representative Office, Budapest, said during the opening ceremony. “Taiwan is the best source for classic manuscripts, since it has the finest collection of old Chinese texts.”

Tao added that since Taiwan uses traditional Chinese characters, it is the perfect place to study ancient writings.

To promote the exhibition, NCL organized a lecture on Sinology by Huang Ko-wu, a research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Modern History, that took place during the opening ceremony.

The events were attended by dignitaries from both sides, including Tseng Shu-hsien, director-general of NCL, Laszlo Vizi, head of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy under Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Laszlo Tuske, director-general of NSL.

Before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Vizi noted Hungary places great importance on promoting bilateral ties. “Taiwan may be geographically small, but it has made many great achievements,” he said. “It is a place where modernity and tradition go hand in hand.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=248813&ctNode=2194&mp=9)