• 2018-06-29

National Central Library was established in 1933,making this year its 85^th anniversary.  On April 18 a special dual exhibition begancalled “Imperial Repository 85: A Showplace of Unique Versions” and the “NationalTreasures Exhibition.” In attendance at the joint opening ceremony was DeputyChief at the Ministry of Education, severalpast directors-general of NCL, the head of the National Digital Library ofKorea, the head of the Asian & African Studies Department at the BritishLibrary, the C.V. Starr East Asian Librarian at UC Berkeley, andseveral distinguished guests engaged in library field. 

The exhibition “Imperial Repository 85: AShowplace of Unique Versions” had on display classical works held at NCL andwell-known by the public. Specifically, various versions of these works wereshowcased for public viewing. Throughexplaining the story behind the differences in each version, the quality andquantity of NCL’s holdings, its unique role as Taiwan’s legal depositrepository, and its belief in book preservation and knowledge heritage werereadily apparent. In addition to introductions to and actual copies of the twelveclassical works, the exhibition had videos on display and centers whereattendees could understand what digital sources were available that correlatedwith the exhibition. 

The NationalTreasures exhibition showcased five exquisite and rare copies of ancient booksdesignated by the Ministry of Culture as national treasures. Each work was ondisplay for one day, appearing in the following order: 1) a Ming print of Depictionsof Metals, Minerals, Insects and Plants; 2) the earliest known copy (Yuandynasty, dual-colored) of The Diamond Sutra; 3) a Song print of An annotated anthology of Mr. Dongpo's Poetry; 4) the only extantSong version of Commentaries of the FiveMasters on Wenxuan; and 5) a very rare hand-written copy by a Song officialof The Veritable Records of the SongEmperor Taizong.

In an effort to invite as many people toattend this exhibition at NCL as possible, the age restriction for entering thelibrary was temporarily suspended. In addition, 21 exquisite replicas ofancient books were made available as prizes for a raffle.