Chinese Books Center opens in Warsaw

The opening ceremony of the first Chinese Books Center in Poland took place here on Tuesday at the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

The center is a result of cooperation between the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and the university and was supervised by the State Council Information Office of China.

Thanks to the newly-opened center, any Polish citizen wishing to learn more about Chinese culture, history, economics, or searching for Chinese literature, will be sure to find what they need.

A Chinese books offer is to cover various topics and include both classical and modern works.

China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration offered its Polish partner the first delivery of books, including 200 works on Chinese economics, politics, culture, history, etc. Another 300 books are to follow.

The agreement between the two parties assumes an offering of 300 books each year over the next five years. The Polish side has committed to creating a special place for the books and ensures they will be widely available and accessible.

At the ceremony, Guo Weimin, vice minister of the Chinese State Council Information Office, expressed hope the offering of books might lead to more people reading about China, getting to know the country, and developing an interest in it, which might result in more Chinese-themed research.

Professor Krzysztof Gawlilowski, a renowned expert on China and head of the Eastern Asia Civilization Center, said he wished for more cooperation on a cultural level, especially as far as books and literature translation was concerned.

"Every great civilization is based on books," he said.

"In the case of China, studies on classical works used to play a fundamental role. Therefore, the creation of this center is both of a practical and symbolical meaning," he added. Endit