• 2014-07-29

On July 28, the National Central Library has held a donation ceremony and a presentation of Táncház, traditional Hungarian dancing, at 2:30 in the International Conference Hall.

Director General Tseng said that the donation of a set of 50 CDs (Heritage of Our Future XX→XXI) from the Hungarian Trade Office represents classic traditional Hungarian folk music collection for a century. The 20th century was a great time for folk songs in Europe as it experienced a large production of records and other recordings. Due to the advent of the digital age, and in light of the fact that traditional Hungarian cultural identity is not at odds with their integration in the European Union (Hungarian folk songs are a part of Europe’s cultural heritage; as such efforts to keep Hungarian folk music alive is a substantial contribution to the preservation of European culture), Hungarian government officials and music experts proposed the Heritage of our Future project to preserve this music. The aim of the project is to record a complete array of Hungarian folk music throughout the region and digitize them for long-term archiving.

Representative Levente SZÉKELY from the Hungarian Trade Office in Taipei starts with the expression “Receiving is nice; Giving is better”. He then explained that National Central Library has become the first library in Asia to receive an official donation of this set. Previously, Hungarian officials presented a copy of this CD set to the Library of Congress in the U.S., the largest library in the world. Now National Central Library is set to be the only library in Asia with a copy. This donation will infuse new energy into music and dance in Taiwan, as well as accelerate culture exchange between Taiwan and Hungary. He later gave a comprehensive illustration of the material being donated. His wife, Madame Hedi Sztano Szekelyne, together with a Taiwanese dancer, also demonstrated the rich traditional Hungarian dance.

A tea break featuring red, white, and rose wines from Hungary were available for attendees to enjoy. In future days, the public in Taiwan will be able to access these CDs by visiting the NCL’s Arts and Audiovisual Center.