Original manuscripts of famed writers from English and Irish literature are on display at the Mu Xin Art Museum.[Photo/CGTN]

Recalling a lifetime's reading of Virginia Woolf, Mu commented: "Age really matters. I read her when I was in my thirties, forties, even fifties. In my sixties, I understood where she had been right, and where she had been wrong."

Kristian Jensen, head of Collection and Curation at the British Library, said the team is excited to be able to bring works by four of the greatest writers to China.

He expressed the hope that it can show authors' dialogue with one another between countries and across time.

The event is part of a wider three-year program of cultural exchange – The British Library in China: Connecting through Culture and Learning.

"During his stay in New York, Mu Xin spent 5 years teaching over 20 Chinese artists there the world history of literature, philosophy and art including music and painting. We can see that since a young age he had been really cosmopolitan," said Chen Danqing, curator of the Mu Xin Art Museum.

"It's hard to find another scholar in contemporary China who had such wide-ranging dialogues with the world. That's why such an exhibition could be held in his museum. It's a rare opportunity for people here to see the original drafts bearing the very marks of their creation. This is being realized mainly due to Mu Xin's open-mindedness in his artistic achievements," he added.

The exhibition coincides with the 2017 Wuzhen Theater Festival, which runs from October 15 until mid-January next year.