Book collectors' seals and bookplates: Shared devotion to the page

Editor's note: Books are a gateway to new worlds, bridging generations and cultures with every page. Each April 23, we celebrate World Book Day to honor the power of books as a bridge between generations and across cultures.

This year, China will launch its first National Reading Week, a weeklong campaign to encourage reading activities nationwide. To mark the event, we explore the "dialogue" between traditional Chinese book collectors' seals and the art of bookplates. While the vermilion seal has long served as the classic mark of scholarly appreciation in China, the bookplate has now emerged alongside it, evolving into a unique fusion of modern design and traditional aesthetics.