THE Tianyi Pavilion, the oldest existing private library in East China’s Ningbo, 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 fell on Sunday.

The Tianyi Pavilion was founded in 1561 by a senior official named Fan Qin, when he returned to his hometown of Ningbo 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.

About 300,000 ancient books have 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 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 with Florence.

A treasured copper engraving, commemorating the military victory of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Emperor Qianlong and created by Giuseppe Castiglione, an Italian missionary and painter, is a piece of the important collection of the Tianyi Pavilion. It is regarded as a masterpiece combining the Chinese and European cultures.

A traditional Chinese scroll painting made of silk and satin featuring the story that a Chinese beauty in the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-A.D. 220), 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, Silvia Scipioni, director of the Laurentian Library, 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,” said Zhuang Lizhen, the Tianyi Pavilion’s director.

The two directors 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. (Xinhua)