On November 18, 2022, as one of the important activities of the 2022 Maritime Silk Road Culture and Tourism Expo, “Tianyi Talk: Book-Talk - between the Three Ancient Libraries of Italy and China” was held at Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Director of Tianyi Pavilion, Ms. Zhuang Lizhen, Director of Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana Ms. Silvia Scipioni, and Director of Biblioteca Malatestiana, Ms. Elisabetta Bovero held the online dialogue and signed the “Ningbo Consensus/Accordi di Ningbo”, calling for the establishment of the World Alliance of Libraries.
At the end of last century, some Chinese scholars proposed, after extensive census, research, screening, comparison and examination of data, that the three ancient libraries in the world are the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, the Biblioteca Malatestiana and the Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo. All three libraries were established hundreds of years ago and have developed continuously without interruption since their establishment, still maintaining their original buildings and collections, which is rare. Mr. Yu Qiuyu once said, “Tianyi Pavilion has actually become a cultural miracle of extreme hardship and pathos.” In terms of the history of the development of world civilisation, then, these three libraries can also be called the miracle in the history of the world’s book collection culture.
This dialogue was the first “reunion” of the three libraries in nearly 30 years since they established their place in the history of world book collecting. The curators were invited to attend the event and engage in a dialogue on their history, present and future through remote video link. A "story", a "collection" and a "vision" were told.
Book collecting is an important cultural tradition of mankind, and the library is an important symbol of human civilization. With the passage of time, book collections with a long history are becoming increasingly scarce. At the end of the dialogue, the three curators talked about future cooperation, looked forward to the future of the bookstore, and signed the Ningbo Consensus together on the spot.
The Consensus believes that no matter how the world changes and no matter how many means of preserving culture change, books have always been one of the most cherished parts of human civilization. As the main vehicle for the preservation of physical books, the library has the unique cultural and historical value as a repository of the common memory of humanity.
The Consensus makes it clear that, as the three ancient libraries in the world, it is our common mission and responsibility to actively work together to preserve book collections, study them and disseminate their culture, to actively promote the construction and development of contemporary book culture, and to safeguard the most unique cultural memory of humanity.
The Consensus envisages that the three ancient libraries in the world will explore the establishment of a variety of exchange mechanisms, such as staff visits, collection exhibitions, experience learning and results sharing, to build a multi-channel and wide-ranging interactive platform, deepen the friendly cooperation between them and promote the common development of book collections.
Based on this, the three libraries have joined hands to initiate the establishment of the World Alliance of Libraries, uniting many libraries in the world to carry out exchanges and cooperation, so that the classics, which are the cultural heritage of mankind, can continue to contribute its wisdom to mankind in the digital age, and so that books can continue to light the way for mankind to move forward.
Ningbo was the eastern port of departure on the Maritime Silk Road; Florence, where the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana is located, was the birthplace of the European Renaissance, and Cesena, where the Biblioteca Malatestiana is located, is a city of Italian culture. Ningbo and these two cities, although separated by thousands of miles and on opposite ends of the ancient Silk Road, have a deep historical connection. In recent years, Ningbo has deepened its cooperation with many Italian cities in the fields of culture, economy and trade, science and technology.
This year, on the occasion of the "Year of Culture and Tourism between Italy and China", this dialogue was organized in the hope that it will open a window for the public to understand the culture of Italy and China and create new opportunities for both sides to further deepen their exchanges and cooperation in the field of culture and tourism.
These are precisely the motivations that prompted Inkred International consulting ltd (Inkred) to take part in the organization of this magnificent event. As an active player in Sino-Italian relations, Inkred has always aimed to build a bridge between Ningbo and Italy in many fields, including art and culture.
