On the afternoon of March 24, the opening ceremony of Ningbo Cultural Legacy Hall·Cao Ying’s Archives was held in the lecture hall on the third floor of Yongfeng hall of Ningbo Library. Following guests and leaders attended the opening ceremony: Cao Ying’s daughter, American artist, Sheng Shanshan. Former deputy minister of the Publicity Department of Shanghai Municipal Committee Chen Dong. Deputy managing editor of Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, Jiang Yiqing. Famous painter and writer, Zhao Heng. Former deputy chairman of Ningbo CPPCC and President of Ningbo Chinese Cultural Promotion Society, Yu Weinian. Deputy director of Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio Television and Tourism, Jiang Wuji. Deputy director of Foreign Affairs Office of Ningbo Municipal People's Government, Jiao Shuanglin. Deputy chairman of Zhejiang Writers’ Association, Rong Rong. Curator of Ningbo Library, Xu Yibo, et al.

Feng Jicai, a famous writer and litterateur, and Zhao Lihong, a writer, essayist, and poet, both sent video and audio messages congratulating the opening of Cao Ying’s Archives. Feng Jicai mentioned that Mr. Cao Ying's family donated more than 1,000 pieces of Mr. Cao Ying's very significant literatures, which is a great thing! It is not only a very sincere hometown sentiments, but also the feelings of literature, but also the move of Ningbo help, help Ningbo. Feng Jicai hopes that Ningbo Cultural Legacy Hall·Cao Ying’s Archives can do a better job, protect this heritage well, and let this heritage play a role in our contemporary Ningbo, our cultural development, and our future.

Zhao Lihong, a writer, essayist and poet, paid tribute to Cao Ying, noting that his translations had built a grand and solid bridge between Leo Tolstoy and Chinese readers, and between Russian and Chinese literature. Cao Ying is very modest, he compares himself to a grass, makes the world green with literary translation. But Mr. Cao Ying's spirit and character are well-deserved to be the backbone of Chinese intellectuals.

Shen Wenzhong, former full-time deputy president of Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles sent a congratulatory letter to the opening ceremony of Cao Ying’s Archives. He mentioned that Mr. Cao Ying is a master of Chinese translation, who has worked tirelessly for more than 70 years to translate countless Russian literary classics with profound thoughts and beautiful words, which has opened the window of Russian literature for Chinese readers. In particular, he has completed the complete works of Tolstoy's novels in 20 years by himself and has built a bridge of friendly cultural exchanges between China and Russia. The establishment of Cao Ying’s Archives will undoubtedly become a new platform for Chinese and foreign cultural learning, exchange, and research, and an integration of cultural resources in the Yangtze River Delta.

At the launch ceremony, Xu Yibo, Curator of Ningbo Library, introduced the construction situation of Cao Ying’s Archives. From 2019 to 2023, after 5 years of planning and communication, Cao Ying’s Archives was finally completed, which preserved, displayed, and inherited the cultural spirit of Mr. Cao Ying and let more people know the story behind it. In the development process of 97 years, Ningbo Library has been constantly innovating and developing. In the future, Ningbo Library will continue to focus on Ningbo celebrities and Ningbo classics, in-depth exploration, and innovative application, and explore the realization path of public cultural services to better meet the growing spiritual and cultural needs of the citizens.

Cao Ying's daughter, Sheng Shanshan, an artist living in the United States, expressed her gratitude to Ningbo Library for the construction of the Cao Ying’s Archives. She said that the construction of the Cao Ying’s Archives in Ningbo was Cao Ying's wish in his last years. He hoped that his collection of books, materials and reference books on Chinese and Russian literature would not be lost, so that more people could make use of them, benefit from them, and make achievements. Just as Mr. Cao Ying said: Be humble like little grass but do what you can to contribute to mankind.

Deputy director of Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio Television and Tourism, Jiang Wuji said in his speech mentioned that Sheng Shanshan donated Mr. Cao Ying's manuscripts and books, as well as his articles to Ningbo Library, taking the Cao Ying’s Archives as the thread, extending the beauty of literature. This action is honorable and commendable. We as Ningbo librarians and Ningbo literators, there is no reason not to protect and organize these works well, but also to take advantages of Mr. Cao Ying's documents to the extreme. On this special day, we take the opportunity to attend opening ceremony of Cao Ying’s Archives to participate in the "China-Russia Literary Exchange activities on March", which has special significance.

At the launch ceremony, Sheng Shanshan donated Tolstoy's translation manuscripts and a number of books of Cao Ying to Ningbo Library, and twice donated a total of 1533 kinds of 2015 copies including manuscripts, books, life supplies and precious video materials. It is worth mentioning that under the inspiration of Ms. Sheng Shanshan's donation, Gui Ximing, deputy editor-in-chief of Shanghai Mengya Publishing House, donated a set of Du Xuan's collected works to Ningbo Library, and Wang Yahui from Beijing, donated the Memoirs of Wang Zhitao, an international Communist military instructor.

Mr. Cao Ying has built a grand and solid bridge for the exchange of literary ideas between China and Russia throughout his life. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, and the opening ceremony of the museum coincides with the "Literature March" international Book Festival held in the Irkutsk region of Russia. Consulate General of the People’s Republic China in the Irkutsk Region of Russia Li Hai and Deputy curator of the Irkutsk Regional State Library of Molchanov-Sibirskiy of Russia Ms. Stashurevich both delivered online speeches.

Li Hai, Consulate General of the People’s Republic China in the Irkutsk Region of Russia, said that the exchange activities between Ningbo Library and Irkutsk, there is no borders between literature, and emotions are connected. Mr. Cao Ying has devoted his life to literary translation, building a bridge for Chinese readers to understand the Russian soul and culture. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia, and it is also the first year of the China-Russia Culture Year. It is hoped that Ningbo Library and Irkutsk Regional State Library will take this event as an opportunity to strengthen dialogue and exchanges, and further consolidate the foundation of cooperation with literature as a bond.

Ms. Stashurevich, Deputy curator of the Irkutsk Regional Library of Molchanov-Sibirskiy of Russia, said that this event is an important node in the development of friendly relations between Irkutsk and Ningbo. Cao Ying worked hard with pen all his life, leaving precious spiritual wealth for posterity, which is worthy of our respect. The opening of Cao Ying’s Archives is a milestone event for Ningbo Library. Ningbo Library has a lot of readers. Here, readers can get to know Cao Ying himself and Russian literature at close range.

At the opening ceremony, Ningbo Library presented Cao Ying's translation to Irkutsk Regional State Library, establishing a friendly cultural connection between the two libraries.

After the opening ceremony, Chen Dong, former deputy minister of the Publicity Department of Shanghai Municipal Committee, Jiang Yiqing, Deputy managing editor of Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House and Wang Hui, former Curator of The Ningbo Fellowship Museum, conducted an "Interview: Pure Green - Cao Ying's Translation Life" to discuss Cao Ying's translation achievements.

Wang Hui, former Curator of The Ningbo Fellowship Museum, recalled the little bits and pieces of Mr. Cao Ying through a special exhibition of Mr. Cao Ying. He was moved and proud after seeing the exhibition. He has been carrying forward and spreading the humanitarian spirit with his unique principles, what is proud of? Mr. Cao Ying is from Ningbo. Chen Dong, former deputy minister of Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, talked about his past interactions with Mr. Cao Ying and expressed his admiration for Mr. Cao Ying, a pen, a piece of manuscript paper, 20 years, this is the spirit of Mr. Cao Ying, his translated works, he can preserve to today, is the continuation of his life, is the continuation of our literary spirit. Jiang Yiqing, Deputy managing editor of Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House mentioned that so many translated works created by Cao Ying can be said to be a monument in the history of our Chinese culture, is a monument, and will always exist. At the beginning, under the strong support of the Publicity Department of Shanghai Municipal Committee, the Literature and Art Publishing House published the complete works of Cao Ying, which has been passed down from generation to generation. In the future, this complete work will be revised, supplemented and complete continuously, because the text may be limited, but the root and dissemination of his spiritual charm are infinite, which is the significance of our sitting here today. At the same time, the three experts believe that the Cao Ying’s Archives can be landed in Ningbo, is an eternal sign, and has made great contributions to the inheritance of the motherland's culture and the continuous culture. It is hoped that through digitization, the whole country and the world can read, study, and find something, which is the greatest significance.

In the reading sharing session, Wu Bo, chief editor of Ningbo Publishing House, shared the achievements of international publishing and cooperation in recent years, focusing on the Russian volume of Classics of children's literature from countries along the Belt and Road. He said that the publication of this set of books is the behavior of our publishing house in response to the national initiative and is also a tribute to Mr. Cao Ying's translation work. It is our Ningbo publisher who recommends cultural exchange between China and the world.

Beichen, a Chinese teacher at Ningbo Jiangbei Foreign Language School, shared his impression of Cao Ying with three words: dignified, soulmate and inheritance. The spirit of the new era injected into the grass by Mr. Cao Ying has the tenacity of the grass and the dignification of the soil. Mr. Cao Ying's life is the persistent and firm pursuit of such truth and happiness, for us to interpret what is love and goodness, Cao Ying's spirit is also a different kind of spur in the era of entertainment that we are now in.

Yuan Fang, president of the Cao Ying Reading Association, talked about the process of reading. First is to read the text, which is the first step that every reading must be. During the sharing part of the Reading Association, the humanistic spirit of Tolstoy is passed on in the translation of Cao Ying, and young readers can explore, experience, and communicate together in the process of reading, generating the spark of the collision of ideas, so that people who truly love reading can spread these humanistic spirits from generation to generation.

Ningbo Cultural Legacy Hall is composed of Ningbo celebrity literature, East Zhejiang academic culture, Maritime Silk culture, urban humanities and history, literature and art, folk customs and local characteristics literature and other theme libraries or special shelves. Celebrity literature is currently composed of Bao Yugang and Ningbo Library, Cao Ying’s Archives and The Scarlet Hibiscus Hall (Gao Shixiong).