Acting Director-General Chih-Tsung Weng and Deputy Director General Reinhard Altenhöner hold the signed agreements (front row, left to right), pictured with Dr. Matthias Kaun and Ambassador Jui-Sheng Ku (back row, left to right).
To foster Taiwan's digital research resources and amplify the impact of humanities and social sciences research accomplishments, the National Central Library (NCL) and the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Berlin State Library) in Germany have partnered to inaugurate Germany's first Taiwan Academic Digital Resource Center (TADRC). The Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin hosted the official signing and unveiling ceremony on August 28, 2026 (local time in Germany). The function was co-organized by Dr. Chih-Tsung Weng, Acting Director-General of the NCL, in conjunction with Reinhard Altenhöner, Deputy Director General of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Prominent figures such as Ambassador Jui-Sheng Ku of the Taipei Representative Office in the Federal Republic of Germany and Director Chin-Ying Weng of the Education Division were there to mark this important milestone.
Acting Director-General Weng stated that exchanges between the NCL and the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin have spanned more than a decade. The establishment of the TADRC marks a new milestone in deepening collaboration between the two institutions, with expectations that connections in cultural and academic research fields will become stronger than ever. Moving forward, the NCL will continue to provide a wider variety of digital resources, and both institutions will jointly host academic lectures on topics related to Sinology and Taiwan Studies to enhance substantive scholarly exchanges.
Deputy Director General Reinhard Altenhöner also expressed his delight at the establishment of the TADRC. Through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Matthias Kaun, Head of the East Asia Department, and his team, academic resources, including the NCL’s in-house databases on Taiwan and Sinology as well as e-book platforms, have been integrated into CrossAsia, a platform created by the department to actively promote East Asian research and international cooperation.
Ambassador Jui-Sheng Ku and other distinguished guests from the Taipei Representative Office in Germany specially attended the ceremony, underscoring the government’s firm commitment to supporting cultural and academic exchanges. Ambassador Ku noted that Taiwan holds a globally leading position in the semiconductor and AI industries. The establishment of the TADRC highlights Taiwan’s digital strengths, which will help deepen Taiwan-Germany relations and consolidate the foundation for future bilateral exchanges.
Furthermore, to commemorate this historic partnership, the NCL presented facsimile editions of two national treasure-grade classics from its rare collection as gifts: the 800-year-old Annotated Poetry of Su Dongpo (Zhu Dongpo Xiansheng Shi) and the world's earliest extant two-color block-printed edition of the Diamond Sutra (Jingang Bore Boluomi Jing). These carefully selected treasures enrich the holdings of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and serve as enduring symbols of this historically significant collaboration, turning a new page of friendship in future academic exchanges.
