You are probably aware of this semester's changes on the first floor of the Library.  Renovation work was carried out during summer time to convert the space next to the Theses Room into a multi-function gallery.  Opened on 2 October, the inaugural exhibition brings the treasured items of the University Archives and Special Collections to the public.

Inside the display cases are important works of the science discoveries and inventions published hundreds years ago, including classic works by Euclid, Galileo and Newton.  Some of these rare books are quite fragile.  Most of the time they are kept in closed stacks and access to them is restricted.  This is the first time the Library has brought them out for display.

Hung on the wall are antique maps which reflect the cultural exchange between the East and the West.  The world map of 1720 shows California as an island; and the Great Wall was depicted on the first western map of China published in 1584.  At this exhibition you will also see an early Latin translation of Confucius' works and the eight trigrams (bagua 八卦), and the first western illustrated book on Chinese medicine which includes a thorough discussion of Chinese theories of the pulse in health and theories of acupuncture.