Media

HKU Libraries : A Ceremony marking the gift of Yongle Dadian donated by Dr Liu Yandong, Member of the State Council

24 Feb 2010

During her visit in December 2009, Madam Liu Yandong described HKU as the oldest university in the territory with immense impact, and outstanding achievements. She said the University, with a wealth of experience in grooming talents and pioneering research, is well placed to support the nation's endeavour of improving education standards and acquiring advanced international education concepts.

In recognition of the status of HKU, Madam Liu has donated a precious set of Yongle Dadian, China's encyclopedia dating back to the Ming Dynasty, to HKU Libraries.  Yongle Dadian was the largest encyclopedia in China. Compiled between 1403 and 1407 during the reign of Yongle emperor, it contained 22,877 volumes in 11,095 books and was designed to include all that had ever been written on the Confucian canon, history, philosophy, and the arts and sciences. It was, in effect, a vast collection of excerpts and entire works from the mass of Chinese literature.  The Yongle Dadian now in HKU Libraries is a facsimile of the 163 volumes in the National Library of China.

To mark this precious gift donated by Dr Liu Yandong, Member of the State Council, HKU Libraries is holding a ceremony to commemorate this occasion.  HKU Vice-Chancellor Professor Lap-Chee Tsui and representative from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR will officiate at the ceremony.

The HKU Libraries is now an information hub of the region.  The Libraries has been in close collaboration with Mainland institutions in any areas, which include exchange programme for librarians, interlibrary loans programme with Peking University for the services of universities in Beijing and gift and exchange projects to help build library collections.  Annual Library Leadership Institute organized by the HKU Libraries has been a major venue for training of librarians from China and more important a platform for knowledge and experience exchange with the overseas counterparts.

Media and press members are cordially invited to attend.  Details as below:

Date: 3 March 2010 (Wednesday)

Time: 4:00 pm

Venue: G/F, New Wing, Main Library, University of Hong Kong

Media contacts: Ms Carmen Tsang, HKU Libraries (Tel: 2859-2211)