• 2012-06-18

To promote the services of the Resource Points in Taiwan Academies and to bring about cultural exchange and scholarly discourse, at the end of June, Director-general of the National Central Library Tseng Shu-hsien will lead a group of library personnel to three Taiwan Academies in the U.S. The purpose of the trip is to hold “Erudition: An Exhibition on Reading the Ancient Aesthetics of Living,” which will be comprised of lectures on the Book of Changes, an exhibition of ancient Chinese books, and tea sipping activities.
Director-general Tseng stated, the Book of Changes has influenced Chinese intellectual culture for more than 4,000 years. While seemingly abstruse at first glance, it is replete with philosophy that the past generations have put into practice in their lives. National Central Library has invited funding chairman of the Taiwan Research Institute of I Ching, Chun-Tsu Liu, to go to the U.S. to speak on “Boundless in Movement in accord with Time─ Chinese Culture Transmission in 21st Century from the Perspective of I Ching.” Professor Liu will give penetrating insights into this book that transcends East and West, language barriers, time and space, and which has passed on Chinese culture from very ancient times.
Professor Liu is the funding chairman of the Taiwan Research Institute of I Ching. He studied under teacher Aisin-Gioro Yu-Yun of Feng Yuan Academy, to learn Chinese ancient classics. Professor Liu imbues these traditional classics with a new, modern energy. He uses real life examples to explain and prove the principles in the Book of Changes. By approaching this ancient work via modern thought, he can even use the tetragrams to explain current political and economic conditions throughout the world. His ability to render ancient, archaic language into modern Chinese will provide overseas Chinese and interested U.S. residents a new understanding of the Book of Changes. His three lectures are scheduled as follows:

June 19 (Tues.) at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York
June 21 (Thurs.) at the Culture Center of TECO in Houston
June 24 (Sun.) at the Culture Center of TECO in Los Angeles

In addition to hosting a lecture on the Book of Changes, National Central Library will also host an exhibition titled “Erudition: An Exhibition on Reading the Ancient Aesthetics of Living” at three of the Taiwan Academies. On display will be a selection of ancient books published in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Content includes leisure life of the literati, dramatic literature, conceptions of health, and observing Nature. The exhibition will display reprints of ancient books in National Central Library’s holdings, as well as modern Taiwan publications and e-book versions of the ancient works. Director-general Tseng has said that reading ancient books is not just a way to get into investigating the classics, it is also a shortcut linking the aesthetics of living of ancient and modern people; in re-examining how this small group of literati blended their personal tastes with their everyday lives, this exhibition also demonstrates the ancients’ emphasis on culture, veneration of nature, and valuing of life. The exhibition will be at the Taiwan Academies in New York, Houston, and Los Angeles during the following times:

New York: June 19 to July 18, Mondays to Fridays 9:00-16:30
Houston: June 21 to July 22, Tuesdays to Sundays 9:30-17:30
Los Angeles: June 24 to July 22, Tuesdays to Sundays 10:00-18:00

 On the first day of the exhibition, National Central Library will host a tea reception, replete with tea and delicacies imported from Taiwan. All of the senses will be stimulated as attendees savor the tea, an activity that ancient Chinese were quite fond of. Guides will also be on hand to explain the details of each exhibit. For further details, please visit the following web address: http://goo.gl/gznSD