Old Chinese texts basis of modern design contest

The National Center for Preservation and Conservation of Ancient Books and the Library Society of China, a network of public libraries in the country, will jointly launch a contest on the upcoming World Book Day to encourage young Chinese to explore ancient texts.

On Saturday, when the competition begins, participants will be expected to create new designs based on old texts - the earliest of which date back to the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC).

More than 50 Chinese institutions are offering their archives to contestants to come up with design works that will be exhibited in different cities in June.