China Society for Library Science Conference 25-28 September 2001, Chengdu, China

Citation

Tseng, S., Quinn, M., Tian, J. and Wei, K.T. (2002), "China Society for Library Science Conference 25-28 September 2001, Chengdu, China", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 19 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2002.23919eac.001

China Society for Library Science Conference 25-28 September 2001, Chengdu, China

China Society for Library Science Conference 25-28 September 2001, Chengdu, China

Introduction

The 2001 Annual Conference of the China Society for Library Science (CSLS) was held from 25-28 September 2001 in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in China. Sichuan is situated in Southwestern China on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in a subtropical zone. It has enjoyed the reputation of being known as the "Tianfu Kingdom" since ancient times.

More than 500 library directors and librarians from all of China, as well as 30 librarians from the United States, Japan, Great Britain and Korea participated, including a delegation of the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA). The 27 members of the CALA delegation, including non-Chinese speaking Americans, were led by Liana Zhou, CALA President and Sally Tseng, CALA Executive Director, and included Wei-ling Dai, Michael Huang and Harriet Ying as regional group leaders.

Getting there

CALA delegates, from various parts of the USA and Europe, visited Beijing before and after the meeting in Chengdu. Each delegate arrived very early at airports for their flights scheduled to take off a week after the September 11 tragedy. We were not at all sure if our flight would even take off, since it was still impossible to confirm flights by any means prior to departure. We were quite nervous, and the words and stories of many fellow librarians and friends from New York and Washington, DC, who were directly affected by the events, were still running through our heads. Originally we had more than 40 delegates signed up to attend the conference but only 27 delegates made it to the conference due to the cancellations of flights as well as the closure of airports. Some delegates had to reschedule their flights. Fortunately, the CALA delegates arrived in China safe and sound. Many changed planes in the USA and boarded jumbo jets packed with Chinese. The flight to Beijing, China ranged from 12-15 hours, but we were well fed, and some practiced Chinese with Chinese-American librarians. Everyone was able to say in Chinese the real basics for "thank you" and "please", etc.

CALA delegates arrived in Chengdu for the conference. We were met and welcomed by Mr Qiu Dongjiang, CSLS Director, International Office, at the hotel, which was really a sprawling compound of meeting and dining halls, athletic facilities, ballrooms, and lodging. He was a genuine and gracious host, guiding us through the complexities of registration and payment and showing us to our rooms. He continued to work tirelessly with cheerful demeanor to make the conference and the side trips enjoyable for all of us.

The CSLS conference

Like the American Library Association annual conference, the China Society for Library Science (CSLS) annual conferences are held in a different city every year. The 2001 CSLS Conference was held in Chengdu at the Golden Bulls Hotel located in a beautiful resort area owned by the Sichuan government. It is where officials stay when they come to Chengdu for meetings.

The theme of the 2001 CSLS Annual Conference was: "The Strategy of Sustainable Development for Libraries in the 21st Century." Prominent speakers from China included: Hoping Zhou, Vice Minister of Culture and CSLS President, You-sheng Xu, Vice Minister of the Sichuan Provincial Ministry of Communication, Chong-yan Zhang, Minister of the Sichuan Provincial Ministry of Culture and Bei-xin Sun, Deputy Director of the National Library of China. Many excellent papers were presented. The conference proceedings will be published by the CSLS. At the opening ceremonies, we listened to a fascinating range of viewpoints on Chinese and American relationships. Six major programs presented on Wednesday to Thursday, 26-27 September, 2001 were:

1. 1.

   Strategic library functions in the development of Western China.

2. 2.

   Library resources sharing.

3. 3.

   The study, development and building of digital libraries.

4. 4.

   The functions of library and information in policy making for new technologies and legislatures.

5. 5.

   Library management and innovation.

6. 6.

   The study of library operational theory in the new century.

CALA delegates presented ten papers at the conference in various sessions, ranging from library resources sharing to the study, development and building of digital libraries. Speakers were: Ginny Hendricks, Shu Yong Jiang, Ming Lu, Marilyn Quinn, Joanne She, Jie Tian, Sally C. Tseng, Karen T. Wei, Sharon Yang, and Liana Zhou. Harriet Ying also spoke in Beijing after the conference. Our Chinese colleagues were all very interested in our presentations and had many thoughtful questions for us during and after the meeting. One evening session that was attended by a roomful of CSLS members for information exchange was very interactive and informative. There were many Chinese colleagues who were genuinely concerned with the future directions of the libraries. Many offered to share their experiences with the membership at large.

English speaking delegates presented their papers in English. The Chinese American librarians performed double duties by interpreting the presentations into Chinese for the Chinese audience and translating from the Chinese into English for their American colleagues so that the English-only speaking delegates could understand what was being said.

After the papers were presented, many of the librarians cemented our international ties with a long photographic session, taking many group photos. Several of the Chinese librarians made appointments with the CALA delegates to talk about their work. The challenge of translating was with the need to work with technical jargon related to cataloging, library systems, and standards. We learned that some libraries are ambitiously implementing international standards, including the MARC Holdings Format, without the benefit of real training of any kind, but have done a marvelous job in spite of that. We hope to follow up and see how they are doing during the implementation process again via e-mail.

Beijing

Our hotel was one of the trip's highlights. The Bamboo Garden Hotel is in central Beijing, but in the midst of a cozy neighborhood of hutongs, alleys densely built up with old homes and shops. This small, inexpensive hotel, which was created from a typical eighteenth century residence with a courtyard, decorated woodwork, and gardens, was a peaceful retreat from the city. The service was personal and matched that of the much more expensive large hotels. We were only a short taxi ride from the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square.

Beijing offers so much. We boarded a local bus on our own and then transferred in Miyun to a small town taxi, which took us on a hair-raising journey to the rugged section of the wall at Simatai (120km from Beijing), the only section that retains the original Ming Dynasty structures. The wild mountainous landscape at this more remote section of the wall was unforgettable and more amazing than we even expected. In Beijing, we also trekked through the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, the park-like Beijing University campus, and the Temple of Heaven, a Tibetan Buddhist lamasery and a Daoist monastery. Chinese American librarians guided Americans through the Beijing department stores on an all-day shopping spree. Their expert Chinese was extremely useful, because the department stores accepted bargaining to lower the prices.

Communications

There was an Internet connection at the hotels for us to send e-mail home. We later discovered an even cheaper location to access e-mail around the corner, in one of the many Internet cafes, costing the equivalent of 50-75 cents per hour. We were able to locate these almost everywhere we went, even in remote Jiuzhaigou Park and in Tibet. They typically consist of a small dark room with about 12 to 20 computers and a lot of young people intent upon e-mail, chat rooms, or games. We were thankful for this opportunity to maintain contact with our friends and family and news from the USA. Other than that, our chief news came from our hotels' televisions, which gave us C-Span and some with CNN at four-star hotels.

Impressions of the country and the people

Taking time to see China beyond the bounds of the conference was important for us in understanding both the challenges facing the country and the strengths which will affect the future development of its libraries. The energy, pervasive building and construction impressed us. The fast-paced growth of its cities, the opening up of brand-new highways, and the crowded department stores are fascinating for us. Chinese arrived in droves to visit the famous monuments, palaces, and sights connected with their history and traditions during Golden Week, which began with National Day on 1 November. Flags flew everywhere. People were friendly, giving us the thumbs up sign and smiles, even when we could not communicate in any other way. People seemed relaxed with us as foreigners and eager to talk.

The development and expansion of an information infrastructure and library services will be greatly influenced by the sheer size of the country, which we got a real feel for flying over Mongolia, and down to Sichuan or Guangdong provinces and up to Tibet. We also learned first hand about the diversity of the people, meeting librarians from the far corners of the nation. We saw the diversity also in touring the mountains in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, where Tibetan and Qiang peoples live in close proximity but have visibly distinct cultures as well as individual languages and religions. In the north, a villager of Mongolian descent guided us along the Great Wall, and Moslems with long beards sold lamb and other Middle Eastern type foods on the street in Beijing.

Library and cultural tours

Sichuan is rich in tourism resources. Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong are scenic places known worldwide as natural heritage sites. In addition to attending and participating at the conference CALA delegates participated in some pre-conference tours to Lo San, the Great Buddha, and Panda Research Institute and to San Xin Dui. Conference participants visited Dujiangyen, a great dam built over 2,000 years ago, and the Dujiangyen Library, and Qingchengshan National Park on 28 September, 2001. These tours were included in the conference registration fee package.

Qingchengshan National Park

We had the good fortune to visit the famous Qingchengshan, Dujiangyen and the Dujiangyen Municipal Library on 28 September, the last day of the conference. It was a drizzling morning when we arrived by bus in Qingchengshan, one of the birthplaces of Taoism, located in Guan Xien, in the northwest of Chengdu. Qingchengshan is known for its serenity and is surrounded by 36 mountain peaks in the southern border of the Min Mountains. It is green all year round, thus the name Qingcheng (Green City). Following Zhang Tienshi's (Zhang Daoling) arrival from the Eastern Han Dynasty to spread the Taoism, temples had flourished in the Qingcheng area, up to 70 at one time. Today there are less than ten temples left. The attractive natural trails starting from the entrance to the main temple Tienshidong or Guchangdaoguan would easily take two hours good climbing. The scenery was just spectacular. In several spots many of us felt that we were immersed in a famous Chinese landscape painting. Qingchengshan was not only frequently visited by the royal families, it was also a favorite place for the literati for over 1,000 years. Du Fu and Jia Dao of the Tang Dynasty, Lu You and Fan Chengda of the Song Dynasty, and Yang Shengan of the Ming Dynasty were among the famous who visited and were inspired to write about Qingchengshan in their literary works that we are still enjoying today.

Dujiangyen and the Dujiangyen Municipal Library

Dujiangyen, also located in Guan Xien, in the middle section of the Min River, is about 57km from Chengdu. It has the most famous hydraulic irrigation system in Chinese history. Thousands of years ago, the Min River often flooded the area, causing enormous damage to crops and human lives. In 276bc, Li Bing, then Shu county governor, and his son, Li Erhlang devised a system that would not only eliminate the flooding but would also irrigate the fields, making Sichuan the most productive province in China. In memory of their contributions to the area, Erhwang Temple was built for people to workshop the father and son team. Today there are two statues, Li Bing and Li Earhlang, in the temple, which was built in 1974.

Dujiangyen Municipal Library is near the South Bridge (Nanchiao) in Dujiangyen Shi. It is a small library with more than a dozen computers. Like most of the local public libraries in China, children and adults frequently visit the library to read magazines and newspapers, use the computers, and borrow books.

Post conference cultural and libraries tours

The CALA delegates joined the post conference tours to the world's wonders of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong in Sichuan Province and to Lhasa, Tibet.

Jiuzhaigou

Jiuzhaigou is located in the South section of Min Shan mountain range and there is great tributary in the gully which is the water source of Jialing River. The mountain peaks are towering around and the snow summits are raising in the sky. The gully is formed into a "Y" type embraced by mountains. There are 117 lakes in the gully, both large and small, which are distributed in terraced types. There are 17 waterfall groups which have formed into the natural landscape. The green lakes, cascading waterfalls, flowing shoals, color forests, snow peaks and the flirtatious expression of Zhang nationality, as well as the animal and vegetation resources being richly endowed by nature, are greatly appreciated by people. The national treasure, Pandas and the golden monkeys are loved by people too. This area is honored as the "World of Divine Tales Fairy Land on earth". It was designated by the State Council as a major scenic and historic area in 1982. In 1992 and 1997 it was listed by UNESCO as a natural heritage of the world and biosphere protection area of the world.

The Yellow Dragon

We left Jiuzhaigou and headed south, back in the direction of Chengdu. The route consisted largely of the same mountainous road that we had traveled two days earlier. However, we had two major sights to see on the way, an old and venerable Tibetan monastery and a diversion into the valley of Huanglong (the Yellow Dragon).

In Huanglong we were given the opportunity to climb up to the Yellow Dragon Temple. This area was designated a national park in 1983. Our tour allowed us only about three hours to make the 2,000 foot climb and return. This was not an easy climb, especially under such time constraints, because we started around 10,000 feet and ended up at an elevation of about 12,000 feet. Fortunately, the trail was either paved or made of sturdy wooden planks. There were many Chinese making the climb, some of whom paid to be carried swiftly by two amazingly fit young men. The rest of us had to be careful to move over quickly when we heard their warning shout behind us. Some of the children ended up completing the trek on a parent's shoulders.

Along the path we passed fairy-tale scenery. We walked at the edge of a river, vast amounts of water falling down the mountain over sculptured mineral beds, or standing in colorful, travertine pools. The bright blue, green, sometimes orange or yellow color of these pools is a result of algae, bacteria, and minerals. We moved in and out of tall forest. Ahead in the distance on the way up we saw snowy peaks of more than 16,000 feet. The brilliant sun and the exertion forced us to shed extra layers of clothing. Only six of us made it to the top to see the temple. None required the oxygen we carried in little canisters, but the altitude made the work laborious, and we needed to take short, periodic rests. The reward at the end of the trail was the most beautiful lake of all. The remains of the temple, built in the Ming Dynasty, sheltered an altar with a statue of the incarnation of the mountain's god, the Yellow Dragon.

Lhasa, Tibet

The Tibetan plateau, 4,000m above sea level on an average, is acclaimed as the roof of the world with the highest mountain ranges on the earth. We were advised to take rest and move slowly to adjust to the high altitude after arriving Lhasa, to drink more water, to keep warm to prevent cold and to take some Tibet medicines and cans of oxygen with us.

Tibet is a majestic and richly endowed place with towering mountains of various postures. Million of years ago it was a vast sea. After the mighty Himalayan's movement it turned into the highest plateau on earth. The world's rooftop – Mount Jo-mo Glang-ma (Mount Everest), called affectionately "Mount Goddess" by the local people, is the most magnificent snow covered peak where rivers run in all directions. It is not only the source of many Asian rivers, but the center of the wide and misty Chinese lakes as well.

We visit the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The palace is called "A bright pearl on the roof of the world". It was originally built in the 640s, during the reign of King Songtsan Gampo (ad 617-650). King Songtsan married Princess Wen Chen of the Tang Dynasty. The marriage was a well-known love story. Princess Wen Chen brought to Tibet Chinese agriculture, architecture, arts, economics, literature, medicine, and social, political and other resources. The 13-storey Potala Palace stands 117 meters high and has more than 1,000 rooms. The palace is full of beautiful art works and frescos that exhibit many historical stories. They also portray the religion and the customs and traditions of Tibet. The Potala Palace has been a sacred place for hundreds of years. Thousands of pilgrims from Tibet, other parts of China and abroad come every year to pay homage. The Potala Palace is listed as a cultural relic under the special protection of Chinese government.

We toured other Tibetan monasteries. Hundreds of colorful flags with Tibetan scripture dotted the mountainside behind the temples. The inside was filled with objects used in Buddhist ritual, which were carefully explained by our guides. These included many small statues of Buddha offered by families, some with sealed jewels and some with rice inside. Pillows covered the floor for the monks. For a very small fee of 5 yuan (about 75 cents), a very ruddy lama who appeared to come from the rugged heights of nearby Tibet blessed a gauzy white scarf that he gave us. One member of our group bought a jade ornament and thereby earned an audience with the living Buddha. Outside we watched the faithful turn the prayer wheels and light very large, pole-like sticks of incense.

Six Chinese libraries

Some CALA delegates enjoyed the unique opportunity to observe Chinese libraries at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The six libraries – Sichuan Provincial Library and Sichuan University Library in Chengdu, Sichuan, Jianyang City Library in Jianyang, Sichuan, the Tibet Library in Lhasa, Zhongshan Library (Guangdong Provincial Library) and Guangzhou Library in Guangzhou, Guangdong – offer us glimpses into a rich, fascinating, and intriguing world. What throbs on the central nerves of the Chinese library mind? What is the reality? What are the dreams and hopes?

From the metropolis of Chengdu and Guangzhou to the suburb of Jianyang, and to the world's highest provincial library in Tibet, library directors and librarians impressed us with their open-mindedness, awareness of international issues, eagerness to learn about library practices in different parts of the world. They are enthusiastic for exchange of resources and library cooperation and collaboration. There seems to be a hunger to reach beyond the walls of China and absorb the best nutrients anywhere. "China can no longer afford to lag behind in this information age." Director Li Zhao Chun of Zhongshan Library could be speaking the mind of the entire Chinese library world.

How do Chinese libraries catch up in the information age? Digital libraries seem to represent the cutting edge information technology that sets new standards for information access and dissemination. Sichuan Provincial Library, Zhongshan Library, and Guangzhou Library have developed digital collections that encompass local history, cultural artifacts, nature, ethnic minorities, and literary, historical, and cultural masterpieces, both classical and contemporary. For example, according to Director Li Shien Hou, among the jewels of Sichuan Provincial Library's depository are biographical and critical texts on Tang poets Li Bo, Du fu, and Bai Ju Yi, the world natural heritage site Jiuzhaigou, and the archaeological marvel Shan Xin Dui. With an emphasis on rapid access to information, we might say that Chinese libraries set the tone for China to migrate from a slow-paced culture to a fast-paced industrial and information age.

What distinguishes Chinese libraries in the reality of uniform adoption of international standards and technology is their unique culture as represented in library collections and their reverence of traditions and local history. Zhongshan Library and Guangzhou Library take pride in their strength as centers of research for southeastern Chinese history and culture. Sichuan Provincial Library offers rich archival collections for the study of southwestern China. The Tibet Library is rich in its collections of Tibet arts, culture, history, resources, medicine, religion and other resources. Director Zhang of Jianyang City Library is also the curator who collects the published works of authors of the famed Jianyang Writer's Association as well as works of natives of Jianyang who reside anywhere in the world.

In these Chinese libraries, we see an interesting juxtaposition of tradition and innovation, cultural heritage and digital technology, the East and the West. The vitality of Chinese libraries lies in the vigor, vision, enthusiasm, confidence, and the mind of the professionals who shape the fate of libraries in the new century.

Conclusion

CALA delegates who traveled to China to attend the CSLS Conference had a wonderful time and fascinating experience together. Group leaders contacted the delegates in their regions and provided them with assistance. The Americans who do not speak Chinese especially appreciated joining the CALA delegation. We fostered friendships by networking together before and after the trips. We made new friends and visited old friends and exchanged and shared new developments in librarianship. Networking is one of the best ways to accomplish things. Information sharing is also very important and appreciated. The 2001 CSLS Conference was one of the most memorable and rewarding conferences we have ever attended.

The 2002 CSLS Conference will be held from 25-28 July in Xian, China and the Post Conference Cultural Tour will go to the famous cities in the old Silk Road from Xian to Urumqi in Northwestern China. For more information, please contact Sally Tseng sctseng@uci.edu.

Sally C. Tseng (sctseng@uci.edu) is CALA Executive Director and Head, Serials Cataloging, University of California, Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California, USA.

Marilyn Quinn (quinnma@rider.edu) is Bibliographic Control Librarian, Moore Library, Rider University, Trenton, New Jersey, USA.

Jie Tian (jtian@exchange.fullerton.edu) is a Reference Librarian, California State University, Fullerton, California, USA.

Karen T. Wei (k-wei@uiuc.edu) is Head, Asian Library & Acting Coordinator, Area Studies Division, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA.