HONG KONG, April 24 (Xinhua) — In the usual workday hustle and bustle on Thursday, the World Book and Copyright Day, many power-walking Hongkongers slowed to pick up a book at museums, parks, libraries and sports stadiums across Hong Kong for some no-frills reading.
Over 200 “Read Together for Half an Hour” stands were set up by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to promote reading.
“I seek inner peace and fun between pages,” said a woman in her seventies, surnamed Chu, who looked up from a collection of prose at the Museum of Hong Kong Literature.
Students at over 20 primary and middle schools across Hong Kong turned pages in classrooms and auditoriums. Some schools went a step further to host book fairs and meet-the-authors events.
Book stores, a staple of the city’s culture scene, sought to visualize the fun of reading. Joint Publishing (H.K.) put on an exhibition for book posters at its Wan Chai store, while the Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd. asked over 10 bookworms to name their great reads on camera.
Louis Ng Chi-wa, director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, recommended a book on ancient Egyptian culture to go with an exhibition of the same theme currently showing at the museum.
“Reading has made me what I am, both intellectually and morally,” said Ng.
Hong Kong’s public libraries explored reading as a catalyst for community ties by hosting workshops that sit parents and their children down together for some quality time.
“I hope my kids can find lifelong friends in books,” said one parent. ■
