• 2024-10-06

The European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS), an organization with significant influence on international academic development, held its biennial conference from August 27 to 30, 2024, at Tallinn University in Estonia. In an effort to expand Taiwan's scholarly influence and promote Taiwan Studies, the National Central Library’s Center for Chinese Studies, in collaboration with the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, held a book exhibition during the event. With the support of the National Taiwan University Press, the exhibition showcased a total of 225 titles (235 volumes) of outstanding publications from the past three years related to Chinese studies and Taiwan studies.

The books displayed at the exhibition were all donated to Tallinn University after the four-day conference concluded. The donation ceremony was held at the university on August 28, local time. The donation was presented by Ambassador Andrew H.C. Lee of the Taipei Representative Office in Latvia on behalf of the National Central Library. The donation was accepted by Lisa Indraccolo, Vice President of EACS and Associate Professor at Tallinn University's School of Humanities. National Central Library Director-General Han-ching Wang assigned Editor Hui-ju Chuang from the Liaison Division of the Center for Chinese Studies and Assistant Editor Lin Liling from the Special Collections Division to oversee the donation process.

The organizing institution for the EACS Biennial Conference, Tallinn University, is located in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Founded in 2005, the university has rapidly developed in academic research and enjoys a strong international reputation. It is also a key institution in the Nordic region for Taiwan studies and Chinese studies, playing a significant role in training and research. Consequently, the National Central Library (NCL) signed an agreement with Tallinn University on November 9, 2023 to establish the Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies. Additionally, on September 10, 2023, the two institutions co-organized a Taiwan Lecture on Chinese Studies. During the event, Prof. Indraccolo expressed gratitude for the NCL's recent contributions to the university’s academic resources, particularly in providing high-quality books and digital resources for humanities research. The donation of books displayed in the exhibition further added to its Asian and Taiwan studies collection. The event was attended by numerous scholars from Taiwan and other countries, as well as researchers who have previously received grants to conduct research in Taiwan. There was lively discussion and interaction.