'Xi Jinping Collection Room' in S. Korea's top university meaningful to learn about China

SEOUL - The "Xi Jinping Collection Room" in South Korea's top university is meaningful for university students, professional researchers as well as the general public to learn more accurately about China.

The "Xi Jinping Collection Room," opened in October 2015, is the only room inside the central library of the Seoul National University (SNU) that is named after the leader of a foreign country.

During a state visit to South Korea in July 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the SNU, vowing to donate more than 10,000 books and video materials on China to the university's library for educational and academic research purposes.

Xi also invited 100 SNU students to come to China to participate in the Chinese Bridge Summer Camp for university students.

As an expression of gratitude, the university dedicated the "Xi Jinping Collection Room" inside the library in honor of the Chinese leader.

"The donations began in May 2015 through the Chinese Embassy (in South Korea). (The library) had no extra space for it, so (the university) renovated (the previous office of the chief librarian) and prepared for contents to open it in October 2015," An Yu-gyung, librarian of Collections and Information Management Division at the SNU, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"Many Chinese students attend class in our university," said An. "It would be a little more meaningful to them."

"It opened as the 'Xi Jinping Collection Room,' but we plan to collect more materials on China more broadly and turn it into a place of exchanges," she added.

The SNU library has signed contracts with Peking University, Tsinghua University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to exchange academic information and share the copies of books and academic journals, she said.

"(President Xi Jinping) donated books and helped the SNU open the library stacks to create space for valuable materials on China for the entire universities and the entire youths of South Korea," said Kwon Ki-sik, head of the Korea-China City Friendship Association.

"Going forward, the library stacks, created by President Xi Jinping, will become a core center to let people in South Korea understand China," he said.

"I look forward to (the 'Xi Jinping Collection Room') collecting more materials and becoming a place of learning to let professional researchers and students understand China accurately," he added.

At the entrance of the collection room stands a wooden sign of President Xi that reads, "Explore Truth and Seek Light," which is in line with the SNU motto of "Veritas lux mea," Latin for "Truth is my light."

A total of 10,052 donations, namely 9,297 books and 755 video materials about Chinese history, philosophy, culture, arts, natural science, engineering, and situations in Northeast Asia have been delivered to the collection room before the opening ceremony. The number recently increased to more than 14,000.

The books can be read and taken from the library by all Seoul citizens as well as SNU students and staff.