A donation of books to the Prince George Public Library marks the beginning of strong ties between the institution and the Chinese Consulate General.
On Thursday, delegates from the Vancouver-based diplomatic office visited the Bob Harkins branch, where they were thanked for their donation of more than 200 books for the local collection.
"Although these books are a small number, it's very important as it's the first donation from the Chinese Consulate General. In the future we may provide more and more valuable books," said Deputy Consul General Mao Runlong.
Mao was joined at the library by Consul for Culture Wang Qiang and Consul for Overseas Chinese Affairs Li Yue.
The books, in both English and Mandarin, cover Chinese history, culture, language and more.
"Your benevolent gift allows us to expand our multilingual collections which has suffered in recent years," said chief librarian Allan Wilson. "We have a very large and diverse community here and it's really valuable for us when we get such a gift that allows us to reach out into a community that perhaps we've under-served."
There's nothing better than new books, said Prince George-Valemount MLA-elect Shirley Bond, who called the donation symbolic of the growing partnership between the China and the region. "I think it's a beautiful combination of books that we've been given."
Speaking on behalf of the municipality, city corporate services director Kathleen Soltis - who travelled to prospective Chinese sister city Jiangmen with a local delegation last fall - also expressed her thanks for the donation.
"Your gift is recognition of our city and the Prince George Public Library as a strong centre for information, social and multilingual services and assets," she said. "It will have a long life in supporting literacy and access to information in Prince George and the region."
A strong official Chinese presence has been felt in the city over the past weeks. On May 23 a memorandum of understanding was signed between UNBC, the Barkerville Heritage Trust and Jiangmen's Wuyi University to promote education and research co-operation and staff and student exchanges.
"More and more students will come to study and to settle in Prince George in the future and I think they can help the people to promote friendship and a great understanding about Chinese culture and about the Chinese people," said Mao. "We hope to strengthen ties with the library and have close contact with you."
