PROVINCE FOSTERS PUBLIC APPETITE FOR BOOKS

Fourth Shanxi Conference for Promoting Reading among All Residents held in Taiyuan on Wednesday, complemented by additional events to spur literature study across the region

Promoting the habit of reading can enhance the spiritual well-being of the people and help develop a strong cultural province, officials said at the opening ceremony of the fourth Shanxi Conference for Promoting Reading among All Residents, which was held on Wednesday in the provincial capital of Taiyuan.

On the sidelines of the three-day event, a range of activities, including exchanges among readers, recitals of poems and classics, as well as forums and seminars, were held throughout the North China province.

The conference announced that Shanxi has established a comprehensive service system for readers that includes libraries, bookstores and readers associations. Their presence covers every part of the province and their operations cater to various age groups.

Shanxi Library in Taiyuan, for instance, has a section dedicated to young readers ranging from kindergarten to middle school students. The section has a collection of about 500,000 books and 400 seats for readers, making it one of the largest of its kind in all provincial-level regions of China.

The section has classified its collections according to not only subjects, but the ages of readers.

For younger children, the reading room is decorated with colors and furniture that can easily draw their interest. There are also dedicated teachers to guide their reading.

Through the use of digital technologies, the section also features an online library system, allowing readers throughout the province to access its resources.

Another library in the provincial capital, Taiyuan Library has established a workshop on Marxism, catering to readers interested in such academic studies. The workshop has 22,000 copies of books, including classics in various languages and research works on Marxism.

In addition to offering a venue for reading, the workshop has regularly held activities to aid academic exchanges among readers.

In cooperation with grassroots public institutions, Taiyuan Library has established more than 50 Marxism workshops in communities throughout the city of Taiyuan, arousing public interest in such studies.

Shanxi Library has a similar workshop, with a focus on Marxism's localization in China, especially on its role in driving China's revolution and development. The workshop has hosted a number of seminars for idea exchanges among readers, who are mostly Communist Party of China members.

Grassroots efforts

The business community is also devoting efforts to promoting reading among employees and neighborhood residents.

The Riverside Readers Society, for instance, is a readers' club established by the Shanxi Equity Exchange Center. It aims to enhance the academic level of its employees and nearby residents by holding reading activities.

For employees of the center, the society calls for 15 minutes of reading every day, holds an exchange meeting every week and hosts a symposium every season.

As a result of extensive and intensive readings and frequent exchanges, members of the society said that some complicated theories in economics, especially in equity transaction, have become easy to understand.

The society has also collaborated with Shanxi Library for resource sharing.

Shanxi Road & Bridge Group, a major construction company in the province, also has a dedicated library for employees.

Fu Fengyan, a staff member of the company, is a frequent visitor to the library. He said reading is a good hobby for workers to improve their abilities and spiritual wellbeing, and it is also a good practice for a company to build its corporate culture.

The company has also built a mini-library at an expressway service area in Xixian county, offering a new option to drivers and commuters who take a break there.

Cultural focus

The Shijun Society is a readers' club for the intellectual circle in Taiyuan. With about 400 members, it includes historians, culture researchers, poets and journalists. The club was originally established for sharing studies on local culture, literature and folk traditions.

But it has recently branched out to residents in neighboring communities, helping them to better understand local culture through reading and exchange activities.

"We are holding readers' exchange activities in the communities in a hope to enhance the residents' understanding of the culture of Shanxi and China as well," said Xu Jianhong, a poet and one of the founders of the society."We also aim to lift the people's enthusiasm in protecting, inheriting and developing our cultural heritage."

To date, the society has organized 53 symposiums and 22 cultural experience and interactive activities for its members and neighboring residents.

Books on local culture are well received by readers. On March 29, Taiyuan's local writer Wang Hongwei released his new ADVERTORIAL book, The Splendid City of Taiyuan, at Taiyuan Library.

With vivid stories about Taiyuan's history and culture, as well as local life, the book immediately attracted interest among critics and readers.

Zhang Weiping, vice-chairman of the Shanxi Writers Association, said:"As a Taiyuan native, I am deeply impressed by this book. It can naturally help old Taiyuan natives develop a sense of belonging and a sense of attachment to this city."

Major force

Students constitute a major force in the reading community of Shanxi. Chinese culture is again among their major reading topics.

At a school in the county of Linyi, for instance, students recently put on a play called Jie Zitui after reading books on the origin of Qingming Festival. Also known as Tomb Sweeping Festival, it is observed around April 5 every year.

Historical books said the origin of Qingming Festival was related to Jie Zitui, a famed hermit during the Spring and Autumn Period(770-476 BC).

Jie lived in the state of Jin. The territory of the state was mainly in today's Shanxi province. He was known for his filial piety, wisdom and benevolence.

Legend has it that Chong'er, a prince of Jin, endured many hardships while he moved around the warring states. Once, when the prince was tormented by hunger, Jie, one of his supporters, offered him food.

Later, when Chong'er became the king of Jin, he ordered a search for Jie who had gone into hiding in the remote mountains with his mother. The duke wanted Jie to serve as one of his ministers.

Jie, who preferred to be a hermit in the Mianshan Mountain in today's Jiexiu city of Shanxi, had no political ambitions and refused the duke's invitation. Chong'er ordered the mountain to be burned down to force Jie out of hiding. Unfortunately, Jie did not give in and the fire ended up killing him and his mother.

Filled with remorse, Chong'er ordered that during the three days around this anniversary, the setting of fire be forbidden. This meant all food was eaten cold. The three days are called Hanshi Festival, which literally means Cold Food Festival.

The festival of Qingming that followed is celebrated to memorize Jie's filial piety and it is a show of respect to deceased ancestors.

To engage more students in reading, schools in the province have forged collaborations with multiple stakeholders of society to create scenarios where students can read. The collaborations include ties with cultural heritage institutions, libraries and farming communities.

Taiyuan No 4 Primary School, for instance, has cooperated with the Shanxi Museum of Archaeology, to help students access the museum's books and documents, and spark their interest in archaeology.

While suggested to leave 30 minute for reading every day, the students have opportunities to attend seminars hosted by the museum, experience relics repair and even visit some archaeological excavation sites.

Integration practice

In Heshun, a county in Shanxi renowned for its agriculture, students in primary and middle schools are encouraged to integrate their reading experience with field research.

The study of farming and husbandry is part of the curriculum of many schools in Heshun. On weekends, the schools arrange research tours of neighboring farms and ranches.

One of such tours was recently organized by several local schools in cooperation with Shanxi Agricultural University.

Presiding over the tour of a forage grass farm, Zhao Xiang, head of the College of Grassland Science of SAU, taught students to recognize various varieties of grass and related farming knowledge.

He told students that reading should be integrated with practice, and this was especially true in ancient Shanxi, which is known for its millennia-old farming culture.

"In Shanxi, as well as the rest of the China, we have an old saying that 'farming and reading are crucial to sustain a family's fortune and prosperity'," Zhao said. "And we noticed that, in ancient times, the intellectuals always had an aspiration to be 'a scholar, a farmer, a fisherman and a woodman' all at the same time."

"This phenomenon shows that integrating study with practice has long been highlighted by ancient intellectuals and this integration is of even greater significance in today's society where developments of all sectors are powered by knowledge," he added.

Zhao is leading a team of researchers and students from his university to work in this county. While trying to cultivate new crop varieties and develop new techniques and technologies for farming, the team's other major mission is to train local farmers.

The training includes tutoring on-site and distributing books to farmers to help them master more farming skills.

Li Yao, Wang Ningna and Li Keying contributed to this story.