On 29 April, the signing ceremony of strategic cooperation between the National Library of China (NLC) and Beijing Publishing Group was held in the NLC Ancient Books Library. Rao Quan, Director of the NLC, Director of China National Center for Preservation & Conservation of Ancient Books, and Director of the National Museum of Classic Books, Kang Wei, Secretary of the CPC Committee and Chairman of Beijing Publishing Group, Li Qingxia, Deputy General Manager and Editor-in-chief of Beijing Publishing Group, Zhang Jingshan, Deputy General Manager, and other relevant comrades attended the signing ceremony. Zhang Jun, Deputy Director of the NLC, presided over the signing ceremony.

Rao Quan said that the NLC would continue to give full play to the collection advantages of the national repository, further expand the social education platform function of the national public cultural service position, and strengthen practical cooperation with Beijing Publishing Group on innovative publishing of cultural classics, development of cultural and creative products, planning of research, study and tourism activities, and so on. On this basis, the NLC would work together with Beijing Publishing Group to deeply explore the win-win strategy of the library and publishing industry, actively apply 5G network, big data, block chain, artificial intelligence and other new technologies, strive to promote the transformation and innovation of both sides in the construction of high-quality digital content and the expansion of convergence media service channels, make new and greater contributions to enriching the new experience of digital reading and cultivating the new ecology of intelligent reading, so as to better meet the diversified and personalized reading needs of the people, and make new contributions to the prosperity and development of socialist cultural undertakings and the construction of a socialist cultural power.

Kang Wei said that the NLC had given great support and help to Beijing Publishing Group in publicizing its publications. Explore the education problem, You and I, and many other books had won the Wenjin book award or become recommended books. The ancient atlas of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, which was jointly developed by the two sides, had become a special funding project for the national ancient books collation and publication. Both sides had made certain achievements on the cooperative research and development of "Beijing Ancient Books Database", cultural and creative product development of Shi Wu Ben Cao Tu Pu (transliteration), and so on. In the next step, both sides would establish a comprehensive strategic cooperative relationship and carry out extensive exchanges and cooperation in the fields of cultural classics publishing, globalization of Chinese culture, convergence media business expansion, and so on, which was a practical measure to implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's directive spirit of "bringing to life cultural relics collected in museums, heritages displayed on the vast land and words written in ancient books", flourish and develop cultural undertakings and cultural industries, and improve the country's cultural soft power.

On the site, Rao Quan and Kang Wei jointly signed a strategic cooperation agreement. According to the cooperation agreement, both sides would focus on six aspects of cooperation. First, both side would promote cooperative development and sharing of resources, make use of their resources, and achieve mutual benefit by creating products and activities aimed at the core users of both sides. Second, both side should cooperate on innovative publishing of cultural classics, make use of the NLC's rich collections, deeply explore the connotation of the classics. Relying on the accumulated market experience and marketing operation means of Beijing Publishing Group, both sides would jointly plan and develop innovative publications and cultural products. Third, both sides would jointly develop cultural creative IP products, create high-quality IP based on the classics, and jointly carry out marketing promotion and IP authorization activities. Fourth, using the books and related user resources in education, children and art of Beijing Publishing Group, and combining the resources advantages of the NLC, both sides would plan and develop relevant research courses for users. Fifth, both sides would jointly create a cultural space integrating books, culture creation, training, exhibition, study and experience, establish new cultural landmark, and further expand the integration of culture and tourism business. Sixth, both sides would cooperation on convergence media expanding, combine the policy and resource advantages available in new media, Internet, 5G and artificial intelligence to form joint efforts, and lay out new reading formats in the future.

In April 2021, the new book and gift box of Shi Wu Ben Cao Tu Pu (transliteration) were jointly issued by Beijing Guotu Innovation and Cultural Services Co., Ltd., affiliated to the NLC, and Ruoqing Scientific and Creative Cultural Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd., affiliated to Beijing Publishing Group, which attracted wide attention of the public and created a successful model of "publishing + cultural and creative product".

The signing ceremony was a good start for the establishment of a deep cooperative relationship between the NLC and Beijing Publishing Group. In the future, both sides would give full play to their respective resources and platform advantages, constantly explore innovative practices in the fields of "classics+" and "publishing+", create cultural products, shape characteristic brands, and jointly promote the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese excellent traditional culture, so as to make new and greater contributions to promoting nationwide reading and building a socialist cultural power.

After the signing ceremony, leaders and relevant personnel of both sides visited the reading rooms of the NLC Ancient Books Library, relevant exhibitions of the National Library of China Publishing House and Wenjin Academy.