• 2015-04-03

National Central Library (NCL)’s Director General Tseng Shu-hsien and President Jacques Comby of the Jean Moulin - Lyon III University (French: l'Université Jean Moulin Lyon III) sign a cooperative memorandum on April 3 to establish a Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies (TRCCS). And the opening ceremony followed as well. Library Services Director Marc Martinez of Lyon III University, Representative Michel Ching-long Lu of the Taipei Representative Office in France (French: Bureau de Représentation de Taipei en France), and European sinologists are in attendance to witness this historic moment.

The NCL has for many years exchanged publications -both books and periodicals- with more than 600 academic institutions in over 80 countries. Beginning in 2012, the NCL promote and expand international cooperation in Chinese studies, providing more relevant resources to broaden service locations. The NCL established a total of 12 TRCCS at the academic institutions and universities with a high number of sinologists that function as overseas service points for the NCL. It is planned that 18 centers in total will be established by the end of 2015.

Lyon III University is the first TRCCS in France and established the Chinese Literature department that opened courses on Taiwan films, history and other research programs. Also it is the first university opening a course on Holopedia. Setting up a TRCCS at world-renowned University has far-reaching implications in the promotion of Taiwan-styled Chinese studies.

The University not only has a long and close relationship with Taiwan, culturally and academically but also is a very important partner abroad for the NCL. In recent years, the NCL offered Lyon III University Taiwanese films, books and documents to enrich their Chinese study collections. This year the collaboration further established a resource platform for promoting Chinese studies.

Upon the establishment of TRCCS, the NCL will ipso facto donate locally published Chinese books and audio-visual materials to the overseas TRCCS and will continue to do so from the second year onwards. The NCL donated 721 titles (totaling 745 volumes) to the TRCCS at the University this year. During the opening ceremony, Director General Tseng particularly donated replicas of The Annotated Poetry of Su Dongpo, a national treasure of the Republic of China that is more than 800 years old, and The Diamond Sutra which is the earliest wood block print book with dual color in the world. In addition, the NCL and major institutes in Taiwan will provide digital resources for the teachers and students at Lyon III University after the signing ceremony. Director General Tseng, in her remarks, especially thanked President Comby and Library Services Director Martinez for their support of this project, as well as Deputy Director Emilie Barthet and the East Asian Languages Librarian-Acquisition Head Guillaume Krawiec. She also thanked all the library staffs who have spent so much effort in preparing for this new resource center. Director General Tseng also thanked the Taipei Representative Office in France for their assistance in helping the NCL open a new page in the history of promoting Chinese studies overseas. President Comby represented Lyon III University in welcoming the NCL’s delegation. In his remarks, he thanked the NCL for donating the National Treasure replicas, publications and e-resources that provide the professors, students, and researchers at the University more replete resources in Chinese studies. Representative Lu also affirmed the value of the TRCCS established at Lyon III University, stating he believes it will greatly augment future scholarly exchange between the two countries. It also will raise visibility of Taiwan’s abilities in Chinese studies.

The venue for the signing ceremony

Deputy Director Emilie Barthet introduces Ancient Chinese collection to Director General Tseng

Director General Tseng and Library Services Director Marc Martinez in the reception

Director General Tseng and Library Services Director Marc Martinez in the reception

Remarks by President Comby

Representative Lu’s remarks started with performing traditional Taiwanese glove puppets.

Director General Tseng’s speech in French receives warm applause from the audience

Remarks by Library Services Director Martinez

The TRCCS is unveiled at Lyon III University

Director General Tseng and President Comby sign a cooperative memorandum during the opening ceremony.

曾Director General Tseng and Representative Lu respectively give gifts to President Comby and Library Services Director Martinez.

Representative Lu introduces the Taiwan-styled gift to President Comby

The University staffs well present the books at the TRCCS

Director General Tseng with Library Services Director Martinez