We need to understand the evolution of human society, that history does not come to a halt, but is rather a river.”įilling a ground floor hall of the Bibliotheca, itself an evocative relic from 1847, the exhibition unfolds both chronologically and thematically.
Print in the 15th Century was the Internet of today: this is not Year Zero, and print is not dead. It is important to find new ways for future historians. “People need education to appreciate and preserve history and knowledge, even in an era of e-readers. It takes time for young people to understand the rise of type settings and how history gets written,” says Zhang. "With the Internet, we can easily overlook the special content of print papers, such as their role in civilization and the rise of compulsory education. The Draft of History: Exhibition of Rare Newspapers Since the 17th Century presents 91 print publications from China and around the world, from The Spectator in 1726 to modern-day, such as the New York Times’ front page last year with the names of America’s first 100,000 Covid casualties.Ībout a tenth of the items are from the Shanghai Library, with the rest drawn from the expansive collection of Fudan University Journalism School professor Zhang Lifen.
How today’s traumas and triumphs settle into tomorrow’s givens is explored at an exhibition of historic periodicals now at the Xujiahui Library, or Bibliotheca Zi-ka-wei (until 9 April). In our era of pandemics and reality star presidents, the sensation of living through history in the making is rendered an acute nerve’s edge.
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