An exhibition in Prague featuring ancient books from the National Central Library opened on Thursday, with the aim to deepen cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, the library said.
The exhibition, titled “The Imprint of Civilization: Ancient books from the collections of the National Central Library,” is being held at the National Library of the Czech Republic until Aug. 31.
It features replicas of oracle bone scripts and bronze inscriptions from ancient China that highlight the evolution of writing and printing, the libraries said.
Photo: CNA
Also showcased is the Yongle Encyclopedia, a Chinese work commissioned by the Ming Dynasty’s Yongle Emperor (永樂) in 1403 and completed in 1408.
A section of the exhibition shows how the Czech Republic’s former name “Bohemia” was recorded and highlighted in archives.
For example, it illustrates how Bohemia was called “a country full of gold” on the Great Universal Geographic Map, which was drawn by a 17th-century Belgian missionary in Qing Dynasty China, the National Central Library said.
Bohemian astrological records and calendars, as well as watercolor paintings and sketches created by late Taiwanese painter Liang Dan-feng (梁丹丰) while traveling in Prague, are also on display, National Central Library director-general Tseng Shu-hsien (曾淑賢) said.
It is rare for the two libraries to jointly organize an exhibition, but the Prague exhibition reflects the warming relationship between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, Tseng said.
The Taiwan collections represent “the rich and diverse scope of cultural and artistic heritage of Southeast Asia,” the Czech library said on its Web site.
“Through this exhibition, we hope to promote mutual understanding and appreciation between the people of the Czech Republic and Taiwan,” it said.
This is the fifth time a similar exhibition has been held by National Central Library in Europe.
The previous ones took place in Latvia in 2015, in Hungary in 2016, in Estonia in 2021 and in the Czech Republic last year.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS