Take You Around the Earth for 80 Days, Shanghai Library Holds Its First Paid Exhibition! Authorized Library of the British Library | Exhibition | British

Farewell to the Shanghai Museum Phenomenon Exhibition "From Botticelli to Van Gogh - National Gallery Collection Exhibition", the Shanghai Library is about to hold its first paid exhibition. In the more than 1400 square meters of space opened up in exhibition halls 1 and 2 of the East Hall in the above picture, the "80 Days Around the Earth - A 150 Year World Fantasy Journey" exhibition, authorized by the British Library, organized by the Shanghai Library and MUSEUM BOX Bokrypton Ball, will be held from June 17th to September 19th. On the afternoon of June 16th, a journalist from Liberation Daily's Shangguan News first visited the scene of the exhibition's sprint phase.

French writer Jules Verne's "Around the Earth for 80 Days" is a well-known science fiction novel. This exhibition will lead readers back to the world in the footsteps of the protagonist Fogg: from London, England to Paris, France, Turin, Italy, Suez, Egypt, Mumbai and Kolkata, Singapore, Malacca, Shanghai, Yokohama, Japan, San Francisco, Midwest and New York, and finally return to Liverpool and London, England, passing through 9 countries and 24 themed exhibition halls.

The exhibition takes the audience through the technological explosion of the first to second industrial revolutions of the 19th century, explaining how "science" and "economy" promoted the process and development of modern human civilization. During the exploration process, readers will appreciate hundreds of digital replica exhibits from the British Library, including manuscripts, books, stamps, newspapers, artworks, patent certificates, sound archives, and other types. Some digital collection resources from the Shanghai Library will also be presented at the Shanghai Theme Museum in China.

This is an exhibition that originated from paper literature, fully exploring the connotations behind the text and presenting a unique overview of technology, art, and culture in the 19th century from different perspectives. This is a three-dimensional and experiential reading using exhibition language. In addition to experiencing the immersive world tour, readers can also participate in a series of themed reading promotion and public education activities planned by the Shanghai Library at the exhibition site.

"The exhibition is expected to trigger three waves of reading frenzy. The first wave is a literary theme, which derives from reading the works of the father of science fiction, Verne, to read more representative works of related science fiction literature, adventure literature, and deserted island literature. The second wave is a technological theme, with science and technology changing rapidly in the 19th century. The exhibition site presents the first commercial steam locomotive, the first subway, the first drum washing machine, etc., hoping to arouse readers' interest in reading themes such as technological revolution and technological innovation. The third wave is an artistic theme, through in-depth reading of this theme, it helps readers better understand different forms of artistic expression such as Impressionist art, stained glass, opera, etc. that appear in the exhibition." Wu Min, director of the Shanghai Library Convention and Exhibition Center, introduced The above picture has prepared a recommended book list for the exhibition, which includes over 60 books. Each theme museum will also set up themed reading areas, and there will be a series of public welfare courses on reading handbooks to promote readers' in-depth reading of the text in an artistic form.

Shanghai Library has always attached great importance to communication and cooperation with the international public library community. The British Library, as an exhibition authorization institution, maintains a close cooperative relationship with the Shanghai Library, and the two libraries have been connected for a long time. In 2018, the Shanghai Library collaborated with the British Library to hold an exhibition titled "Literary Garden - Treasures from the British Library", presenting the original works of five great writers, including Charlotte Bronte and Dickens, as well as their Chinese translations, adaptations, and related comments, bringing readers a special feast of literary treasures.

Last September, the East Hall of Shanghai Library opened to the public and launched the "Let's Go, Chase the Rabbit! Alice's Centenary Review Exhibition in China" in the children's area on the first floor. The exhibition was authorized by the British Library and centered around the rare collections of Shanghai Library, fully utilizing multimedia interactive devices such as sound and light, leading children to immerse themselves in a world full of childlike fun. In June of this year, the Shanghai Library also planned an immersive reading session for "Alice in the Shadow" under the theme of "Listening, Reading, Enjoying, and British Audio Music Culture Month" during the 2023 reading season.

Since its opening, Dongguan has attracted a large number of young readers and parent-child families. According to statistics, students under the age of 18 and young readers between the ages of 19 and 35 account for 52.3% of the total number of readers. Summer vacation is approaching, and "Around the Earth for 80 Days" is also one of the classic must read books for students. We hope that this "World Fantasy Journey" can add a touch of brightness to children's holidays, allowing teenagers to appreciate the essence of technological innovation and how it promotes economic and social development while interacting with the exhibition.

"We have been exploring how to build a 'smart library in the era of big reading' in such a brand new space." Chen Chao, the director of the Shanghai Library, said that in the theme hall on the 1st to 7th floors of the East Hall shown in the picture, there are both small exhibitions based on different themes and collections to create a reading atmosphere, as well as permanent exhibitions like the Collection Boutique Hall. Using a fixed exhibition hall platform to gather social resources and hold creative personalized exhibitions, the ultimate goal is still to point to the mission of the library - to promote reading, promote culture, art, and science through reading promotion, and then promote reading promotion through culture, art, and science popularization. The exhibition "Around the Earth in 80 Days - A 150 Year World Fantasy Journey" is precisely this concept. Concentrated load-bearing capacity.

In the summer of 2021, MUSEUM BOX launched the "British Library World Pixels" exhibition at the World Expo Museum, which made librarians keenly aware of this social institution. After a long collision between the two sides, the new exhibition "Around the Earth in 80 Days - A Fantastic Journey Through 150 Years of the World" has landed. In Chen Chao's eyes, this exhibition is also a deep reading promotion activity. "According to the Public Library Law of the People's Republic of China, people's governments at or above the county level should actively mobilize social forces to participate in the construction of public libraries. Coincidentally, new mechanisms have emerged, and based on the main business of libraries, we will explore the cooperation of social institutions with this paid exhibition to provide readers with immersive and high-quality reading services." Chen Chao said that the exhibition presents the common heritage of human civilization. While understanding the history of China, it leads readers to see the interaction of the world, has a more international perspective and cultural confidence, and inspires the creation of new culture belonging to this era. "The library is not only a place to preserve civilization, but in 100 years, what kind of cultural, artistic, and technological achievements can we present to future generations? Perhaps this is the inspiration that today's young readers can gain from exhibitions."