Exeter UNESCO City of Literature Visits Nanjing

Thanks to a grant from the British Council, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature had the opportunity to visit Nanjing UNESCO City of Literature, the biggest city in east China’s Jiangsu Province, and once the capital of China. Nanjing is known for its long and rich literary history and received the UNESCO designation for City of Literature in 2019.

Our visit to Nanjing City of Literature began on the high-speed railway between Bejing and Nanjing. Linya from Nanjing City of Literature met us at the station on a very hot day during early summer, referred to as ‘plum rainy season’ due to its downpours and high, muggy temperatures. Linya arranged a visit to the World Literature Hall, situated next to Beijige Park and a grand parade of popular museums.

Opened in 2022, the hall celebrates the literary histories of Nanjing with interactive exhibitions and thoughtful displays. Entering the hall, visitors will notice a large sculpture hanging from the tall ceiling. It resembles a Möbius loop, a shape that has no discernable beginning or end, with text showing the various names of Nanjing throughout history and the evolution of literature in Nanjing.

At hip level, history is shown in text and image on screens, with clickable points for more information. The School of Literature, the first of its kind in China, was founded in Nanjing in 439 AD, influencing the teaching of literature throughout the world. Nanjing is also the hometown of Cao Xueqin, who wrote one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature, Dream of the Red Chamber.

An exhibition for the ‘Beauty of Books in China’ award is housed upstairs, which invites visitors to look at and touch intricately designed books of different genres crafted by Chinese and international book designers. The exhibition reminds the viewer of the possibility of book design and how it affects the experience of reading and looking. Like Exeter City of Literature’s literary maps of Exeter and Devon, the World Literature Hall has a digital interactive version on a large screen, displaying points of interest and writers throughout history.

Nanjing is home to the Librairie Avant-Garde bookshops. The location we visited was notable for its sloping entryway as it was previously a car park, with the space now filled with books instead of cars. The area was also full of people, many of whom were writing postcards to hang on the covered walls. We were told a lot of the postcards are confessional, and people take comfort in reading about others experiences in this setting.

Across the city were constant reminders of Nanjing’s love of literature, we saw several book machines on the streets of Nanjing. The picture below is of a machine run by a local library.

Thank you to Linya from Nanjing City of Literature for showing us all the city has to offer. As a network of 53 Cities of Literature, we always enjoy the opportunity to visit our sister cities from across the globe and connect with one another. This trip enabled us to build relationships with publishers, academics, and playwrights with connections to China and the UK - so keep an eye out on future work with our friends at Nanjing!