Participation in the Conference of the China National Publications Import & Export Corporation

Between 2nd and 6th July 2025 the professional meeting named International Forum of Library Directors was held in China, with the participation of Dávid Rózsa, Director General of the Hungarian National Library.

After the invitation of the China National Publications Import & Export Corporation, Dávid Rózsa travelled to Nanning, a city of nine million in southern China, and Guilin, with a population of five million. The event was part of the program named Symbiosis of knowledge and wisdom without boundaries, organized as part of the 2025 Book Culture Week of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The event was hosted by Guangxi Publishing and Media Group and the China National Publications Import & Export Corporation. The forum brought together nearly forty library professionals from several countries, including Hungary, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States, Canada, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The invited speakers shared their experiences from diverse perspectives on trends in library development, the role of collection data, and opportunities for innovative service development.

On 3rd July at the event held in Nanning, Dávid Rózsa gave a presentation in English named Publisher and Collector of all Publishings: The Roles of the National Széchényi Library. In his lecture, he presented the diverse activities of the 220-year-old national library of Hungary, highlighting that the institution preserves over ten million documents and operates the largest digitalisation centre in Central Europe. He also addressed the MEK+ digital library, which offers access to thirteen thousand e-books for users. Rózsa emphasized the importance of the reading promotion program called Library Challenge, launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Innovation. As he noted, the results clearly show that Hungary has made significant progress in preserving cultural heritage and modernizing knowledge services.

Chinese library professionals also took the floor at the meeting, emphasizing the role of libraries as guardians of the country’s cultural heritage and key players in international cultural communication.

In his speech, Xie Kang, CEO of the China National Publications Import & Export Corporation, introduced the extensive international distribution network of the Guotu Group, which now covers over 180 countries and regions. He noted that in the digital age, libraries are increasingly transforming into “intelligent centres,” and forums like this offer opportunities to promote high-level development of the library system through technological integration, mutual learning, and sharing of industry experiences.

Topics discussed at the symposium included the cataloguing of ancient books and documents, the application of digital technologies in liberal arts, and possibilities for intercultural literary research and collaboration. Representing the host Guangxi Publishing Group, Huang Yu welcomed the participants and introduced the international strategy, communication practices, and experience with rare literary publications of the group.