Story & photo by Recto Mercene
THE Chinese government donated 2,000 books to the Philippine National Library as part of its push for better bilateral relations between the two countries.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua said the activity is part of the ongoing Manila and Beijing cultural and educational exchanges aimed at allowing both sides to understand each other better.
“The significance of the donation has been very clear. These kinds of exchanges started over 1,000 years ago and we will continue to do that,” Ambassador Zhao said.
He added: “The best way to know it is through books, media and things like that. So we need to do a lot more in these regard. So it is urgent and important first to enhance our mutual understanding through reading books from each side.”
Ambassador Zhao said exchanges between the Philippines and China has been going on for more than 1,000 years and yet Chinese nationals do not quite understand the Philippines and Filipinos do not fully understand China also.
Ambassador Zhao said the books that are being donated are all in English and cover a wide range of subjects.
Some of the titles include Tao Le Ching by Lao Tzu; Traditional Chinese Cultures, Zhang Qizhi; Feeding a Nation: China’s Innovative Agriculture; Ancient China’s Genre Painting Featuring Children; The Communist Party of China and Contemporary China; Yang Deshan & Zhao Shumei; My Impression of China: China’s Image in the Eyes of Foreign Officers, Zhang Yingli.
Also included is the biography of China’s president, entitled Xi Jinping: The Government of China, along with such titles like Centennial Hydraulic Project, South-North Water Diversion by Zhao Hongliang; and Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Disasters in China, A nation unbowed in times of trial, by Zheng Gongcheng.
National Library Director Antonio Santos, in accepting the book donations, noted how China has been assisting them in building their catalog.
He said that even as they are the repository of the country’s cultural heritage, they also acquire foreign collections from exchanges with different embassies with exchange agreements with the Philippines.
“We like to have a Study Center, an American shelf, a Korean corner, Japanese windows and a Chinese book room. We are looking forward to other embassies assisting us,” Santos said.
He said the National Library is now home to collections comprised of e-resources, e-books, subscription for foreign journals and printed materials.
Santos said the National Library is headed toward a hybrid of having e-books and traditional books.
Image credits: Recto Mercene