On the afternoon of December 9, 2025, Mr. Alexander Lukin, Scientific Director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia (ICMA) at the Russian Academy of Sciences, led a six-person delegation to the Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei of the Shanghai Library. Mr. Chen Chao, Director of the Shanghai Library, extended a warm welcome to Mr. Lukin and his delegation. Representatives from both sides held talks and exchanged views in the reading room on the second floor of the library.
Director Chen Chao introduced the visiting delegation to the distinctive services of the Shanghai Library and explained the significant role of the Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei in the historical dissemination of Western learning in the East and Eastern learning in the West. He noted that in recent years, the Shanghai Library has maintained excellent exchanges with several libraries in Russia. He mentioned that Mr. Lukin's multiple visits to the Shanghai Library have further advanced the development of cooperative projects between the two institutions. Mr. Alexander Lukin expressed the sincere gratitude of the Institute of China and Modern Asia for the full support of the Shanghai Library for this collaborative project.
Following the exchange, Director Chen Chao and Mr. Alexander Lukin formally signed the cooperation agreement and took a commemorative photo. Subsequently, Mr. Lukin's delegation toured key areas of the library, including the digitization workshop for Western-language historical newspapers on the third floor, the main study on the second floor, and the first-floor exhibition titled "Mutual Learning Among Civilizations, Treasures of the Library – Selected Document Exhibition of the Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei."
Other participants in the signing ceremony included Ms. Olga Puzanova, Senior Researcher at the Institute of China and Modern Asia, Mr. Bei Wenli, Party Committee Secretary of the School of Politics and International Relations at the East China Normal University and Deputy Director of the Center for Russian Studies etc. Relevant personnel from departments of the Shanghai Library such as the International Cooperation Division, the Academic Exchange Center, and the Digital Resources Center participated in and assisted with the reception.
