Chinese delegation visits Reading Society
CORFU. The visitors were given a tour of the Society΄s premises as well as the anniversary exhibition: "Ionian Academy: Aspects of its History and the Contribution of the Reading Society to its Revival."
On Sunday, February 16, representatives from academic institutions and organisations in China visited Corfu Reading Society, led by Professor Xu Baofeng, a scholar of Ancient and Modern Chinese Literature and Chinese Culture at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), Director of the World Centre for Sinology, and recently an honorary doctorate recipient from the Ionian University.
Professor Xu was accompanied by Mr. Huang Pei, President of the Tianjin Publishing and Media Group; Ms. Ren Jie, President of the Tianjin Ancient Books Publishing House; Professor Song Zhen of the Central Academy of Opera in Beijing; Ms. Zhou Jin, President of the Shandong Province Fashion Designers Association and visiting professor at the Central Academy of Opera in Beijing; Dr. Bao Xinyu, Research Associate at the Communication University of China; Ms. Huang Yuting, Deputy Secretary of the World Centre for Sinology; and Ms. Wang Xiuhua, Associate Professor at the Shandong University of Science and Technology, interpreter, and postdoctoral researcher at Ionian University.
On behalf of the Ionian University, the delegation was accompanied by the university’s Dean, Professor Andreas Floros; Professor Stavros Katsios, Director of the Hellenic Centre for Sinology and Director of the UNESCO Chair "On Threats to Cultural Heritage"; Professor Stefanos Vlachopoulos from the Department of Foreign Languages, Translation, and Interpreting; Dr. Elena Avramidou, Executive Director of the Hellenic Centre for Sinology and visiting professor; as well as Ms. Marianthi Kosmarikou from the Senate/Administrative Council Secretariat of Ionian University and Ms. Marina Malini, a DFLTI graduate specializing in Interpreting.
The visit to Corfu Reading Society was part of a broader visit by the Chinese delegation to the Ionian University, within the framework of the Cooperation Agreement between Ionian University and Beijing Language and Culture University, as well as the inauguration of the Hellenic Centre for Sinology's new facilities. The delegation was welcomed by Mr. Thanasis Makris, President of the Reading Society, and Mr. Dimitris Zymaris, its Scientific Director.
The visitors were given a tour of the Society’s premises and the anniversary exhibition "Ionian Academy: Aspects of its History and the Contribution of the Reading Society to its Revival." Additionally, they were presented with two archival items from the Reading Society’s collection that were of particular interest to the Chinese delegation.
The first was a four-volume edition printed in Florence in 1846 by Giuseppe La Farina, titled "La China considerata nella sua storia, ne' suoi riti, ne' suoi costumi, nella sua industria, nelle sue arti e ne' più memorevoli avvenimenti della guerra attuale: opera originale italiana." This work includes dozens of engravings depicting aspects of life in China at that time. The second was a 19th-century Chinese board game, Mahjong, housed in an intricately decorated wooden case.
As a gesture of appreciation, the President of the Reading Society presented all visitors with two copies of engravings from the 19th-century publication on China ("Re-presentation of a drama" and "Port of the West in Peking"). Additionally, he gifted them the bilingual anniversary edition of the Society’s publication "From Ionia to the Ionian", as well as the English edition of the Capodistrias Museum Guide.
The Chinese delegation, captivated by the rare materials, expressed great satisfaction with the visit and a strong interest in future collaborations in the field of publishing.
Photography and photo editing for the visit were carried out by volunteer students from the Department of Audio and Visual Arts at Ionian University: Selini-Elena Kyriazi, Emily Chatzi, Katerina Chatzimargariti, Michalis Fesakis, and Thanos Chondrogiannis.
Photo: Corfu Reading Society
