Encounter of cultures at the national library: we welcomed a delegation from the Suzhou Library

On 9 December 2024, a Chinese delegation arrived at the national library to showcase the rich library tradition of Suzhou and to promote cooperation between the two institutions.

A delegation from the library of Suzhou, one of the most historically rich cities in Eastern China, visited Hungary to share their experiences in the field of modern library development.The guests from the metropolis of 12 million people were received by Judit Gerencsér, Deputy Director General of the Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Centre National Széchényi Library (HNMPCC NSZL) and Zoltán Lewalt-Jezierski, Head of the Director General's Cabinet. Judit Gerencsér gave a detailed presentation on the history, mission and current tasks of the national library. The aim of the meeting was to discuss possibilities for future cooperation.

The highlight of the meeting was the signing of the cooperation agreement, which was signed by Dávid Rózsa, Director General of the HNMPCC NSZL and Wei Fei, Deputy Director of the Suzhou Library. As a symbolic element of the cooperation, the Suzhou Library donated a collection of books to the national library.

The programme continued with discussions between the delegation and the hosts on the future of smart libraries and the use of digital technology. Afterwards, the guests were led on a tour of the building by Gergő Kovács, from the Collection Management Department of the HNMPCC NSZL, where they were given an insight into the work of our digitisation centre and were given an opportunity to learn about the history of the building.

At the end of the visit, Csilla Kőrösi, Ágnes Bessenyei and Anna Laskai presented special collection items related to Chinese culture preserved by the national library.

Other participants in the programme included Jin Hao, Director of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Budapest, Sun Jie, Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Hungary, Zhou Yanfei, Director of the Research and Consultation Department of the Suzhou Library, and Zhang Xi, Deputy Director of the Information Technology Department.