On 4 November, the collection ceremony & exhibition opening ceremony of The Introduction to the Analects of Confucius in French was held in Wenhuitang, the National Library of China (NLC). Hu Heping, Secretary of CPC Committee and Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Laurent Bili, French ambassador to China, Xiong Yuanming, Director of General Office of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Xie Jinying, Director of Bureau for External Cultural Relations, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Chen Binbin, First-class Inspector of the Department of Public Services, Zhao Bin, Deputy Director of Department of European Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rao Quan, Director of the NLC and Director of China National Center for Preservation & Conservation of Ancient Books, Wei Dawei, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the NLC and Deputy Director of the NLC, Zhang Zhiqing, Deputy Director of NLC, Wang Dongbo, Deputy Director of the NLC, and relevant principals from institutions directly under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and some libraries in Beijing, as well as representatives of some experts and scholars attended the event.

Hu Heping said that The Introduction to the Analects of Confucius in French was presented by French President Emmanuel Macron to President Xi Jinping on the occasion of the 55^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2019. The fact that it was collected by the NLC fully demonstrated that President Xi Jinping and Chinese government highly treasured and respected this valuable present, which would become a powerful witness to the further development of cultural exchanges between France and China. China and France were the representatives of the two great civilizations of the East and the West. The openness, inclusiveness, diversity and creativity shared by the cultures of the two countries enabled us to attract each other, learn from each other, respect and trust each other, and seek mutual benefit. They had become important forces in promoting the integration and development of world civilizations. The continuous attention and in-depth study of each other's traditional cultural classics by the two countries would certainly promote the exchanges and mutual learning between the two splendid civilizations of China and France, bring our peoples closer to each other, and truly realize deeper exchanges.

Laurent Bili said that The Introduction to the Analects of Confucius in French was the first translation book which translated a complete set of Confucian classics into French. Once it was published, there was an upsurge of advocating Chinese thought in France. This precious and unique copy was collected in the NLC, which didn’t only highlight its special value in the field of literature and cultural relics, but also became a powerful symbol and witness of the contact and exchanges between France and China for hundreds of years. This was also an incentive and spur for us to continue to promote and strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of culture and heritage.

Rao Quan said that the 1688 edition of The Introduction to the Analects of Confucius in French was the first French version, which was extremely rare and precious, and was the first complete manuscript in foreign language during the European enlightenment period. The NLC would do well in the preservation, conservation, research and utilization of this precious book, invite well-known experts and scholars to hold lectures and academic seminars, and jointly explore its value in a comprehensive and in-depth way with relevant research institutions, so as to show the mutual integration and common development of different civilizations to all sectors of society. In the future, the NLC would continue to promote equal dialogue, exchange, mutual learning and mutual enlightenment between Chinese and French civilizations. The NLC would make new and greater contributions to mankind's progress toward civilization, peace and development together with friends from France and other countries.

Zhao Daying, associate research librarian of the NLC Ancient Books Library, explained the unique value of the 1688 edition of The Introduction to the Analects of Confucius in French, the significance of its collection in the NLC, and the protection measures taken by the NLC to Hu Heping, Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Laurent Bili, French ambassador to China.

In order to make more people understand the main contents of the 1688 edition of The Introduction to the Analects of Confucius in French and its significance in the cultural exchange between China and France, the NLC held a special exhibition. With The Introduction to the Analects of Confucius as the representative, the exhibition displayed the block-printed edition of The Analects of Confucius in Japan and Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as the French, Italian, German and English versions of The Analects of Confucius from the 17^th to the 19^th century, which reflected the wide spread of Confucian classics in the world.

The exhibition would last until 6 December and would be open to the public free of charge. Readers could make a reservation to visit the exhibition in advance.