On the morning of June 10,Mr. Ma Yibai, Director ofCulture Department of Italian Consulate General in Shanghai, Ms. Lou Lishi, Culture Specialist, and Mr. Marco Lovisetto, an Italian sinologist, paid a special visit to Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei accompanied by Mr. Zhou Deming, Deputy Director of Shanghai Library, and Ms. Shen Liyun, Director of International Cooperation Division.

Mr. Xu Jinhua, the head of Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei, narrated the story behind the Reading Room and the Great Study to the visitors, and showed Mr. Ma Yibai a number of ancient Italian books such asNovus Atlas Sinensis by MartiniMartino,Cursus LitteraturaeSinicae by ZottoliAngelo and SapientiaSinica by Prospero Intorcetta.

Director Zhou introduced to Mr. Ma Yibai the architectural features, the internal structure, collection languages and the current situation of digitization and restoration of ancient books in western languages in Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei. Mr. Ma Yibai was surprised that Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Weiownedsuch a huge and well-preserved ancient western books collection. He said that, as Director of Culture Department of Italian Consulate General in Shanghai, he would make every effort to promote the cultural exchange of Chinese and Italian libraries in the research and restoration of ancient books in the future.