18 | Monday, June 1, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE
o foster a love of reading than 30,000 bookrelated events, and build a learning socie influencing more than 10 million ty was an area of focus at people, according to Beijing Reading the recent two sessions, as Festival, a readingpromotion orga Tmembers from China’s top political nization. advisory body suggested on May 25 Love of books Zhu Yongxin, another CAPD cen to elevate the idea to that of a nation tral committee vicechairman, has al strategy, and ensure its implemen spent 30 years promoting the habit tation by setting up administrative Delegates at the recent two sessions offer suggestions to elevate the of reading and has brought up the regulations. idea of national reading day for 18 “A reading day is better to be set promotion of reading to that of a national strategy, Mei Jia reports. years during the two sessions. and included as a national festival,” Zhu is accustomed to rising early said Zhang Yudong, member of every day to read and write. He National Committee of the Chinese keeps diaries, and has had several People’s Political Consultative Con published. ference and vice chairman of China “The reading day is not about holi Association for Promoting Democ day leave, it’s about an awakening racy central committee, in a speech and a ritual to remind people of how made via video conference during reading shapes us and our society,” the third session of the 13th CPPCC Zhu said. National Committee. Twenty years ago, parents would Reading is the most straightfor snatch picture books or cartoon ward, efficient, convenient and the books from their children, believing least costly way to eliminate educa that they were not reading the tional injustice and to raise the over “right” material, such as textbooks all caliber of the population, Zhang or that which was related to school said. credit, Zhu recalls in an interview He quoted President Xi Jinping’s with chinawriters.com.cn, “now pic advocacy for the habit of reading ture books are a much loved genre in when he visited Lanzhou, Gansu parentled reading, and our best province, last year, saying “(reading) writers and illustrators are creating helps to deepen and broaden the original Chinese titles. So there has spiritual world of the Chinese been much progress.” nation”. Xi is known for being an avid Zhu’s Reading Day envisions cou reader and cites it as one of his main pons for free books for less welloff hobbies. families and a reading package of At a live interview on Wednesday, selected books for young children before the conclusion of the CPPCC’s just starting out on their reading annual session, Zhao Jinyun, general journey. manager of the Readers magazine “For children in povertystricken group, suggested it was best to start areas, though confined by their read nurturing a love of reading among ing environment and resources, children below 6 years of age. books enable them to stand at the “Parents should play their role. If same starting line as the other chil they hold mobile phones at all time, dren,” he said. and ask their children to read books, Wei from the Chinese Academy of it will be impossible,” Zhao said, add Press and Publication, as a member ing that she was pleased to note that, of CPPCC National Committee, also in recent years, Chinese parents calls for integrated social measures have started to value extracurricu to ensure rural kids to get to read. lum reading activities. “There are 100 million children Zhao recounted the story of a girl out of the total 250 million who live called Xin Ran, who is a senior stu in rural areas. Their reading level dent at Tsinghua University and is partly decides the future of rural among the younger contributors to China,” Wei said. Readers. Xin Ran has a habit of read Zhang also mentioned the huge ing five hours a day and only asks for national trend toward digital read books as birthday presents. ing and audio books in his speech. “She once fell for television pro The aforementioned report states grams at 9, and her father turned off that audio books are continuing to the TV and handed her a book,” Zhao attract more Chinese, as 30.3 per said. “Reading benefits her a lot.” cent of adults and 34.7 percent of “So I suggest that you all put away children enjoyed listening to audio your mobile phones, and read at least books in 2019, an increase of 4.3 and for 30 minutes every day,” she added. 8.5 percent, respectively, compared For seven consecutive years, since with 2018. 2014, promoting reading has Clockwise from top: A family of three read books in a bookstore in Nanjing on May 3. YANG SUPING / FOR CHINA DAILY A passenger scans a QR CPPCC National Committee appeared in the Government Work code for listening to audio content through an “audio library” app at the Changzhou North subway station in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, member Sun Shoushan, also direct Report, expressing a desire to on April 21. HU PING / FOR CHINA DAILY Tong Xixi, a writer of children’s books, at a public welfare event to donate books worth 100,000 yuan to a or of China AudioVideo and Digital “encourage reading” and “foster a primary school in Gangwei village in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on May 8. TAN KAIXING / FOR CHINA DAILY Publishing Association, highlighted love of reading”, in 2019, to “champi several ways to help the healthy on a culture of reading”, and this year, people’s reading habits by the Chi books they read in a year, only 11.1 mobile phones, 15.54 minutes more 2013 and 2014, the State Council development of audio book business to “embrace a culture of reading”. nese Academy of Press and Publica percent read more than 10 printed than in 2018. enlisted the setting up of regulations this year. Despite a lot of endeavor at differ tion, released on April 20, was that tomes, while 7.6 percent consume A closer look in the report found to promote reading in its work plan. “Who is reading and what they are ent social levels, there are still many while people read for fun and enter more than 10 digital books. that people’s priority when using the However, it has stagnated due to reading indicate the country’s direc problems and challenges to be over tainment, watching videos contin As for children and young people internet was to socialize (60.2 per organizational restructuring. tion,” Zhu said. come before it will be possible to ued to be an entertainment under 17yearold, “the result is more cent), followed by consuming news “Reading needs a boost by admin Zhang suggested that the ideal achieve that goal, Zhang stressed. preference. encouraging”, according to the acad (59 percent) and enjoying video clips istrative mechanism, financing, over combination would consist of “Reading is still not one part of The report showed in 2019, adult emy’s director Wei Yushan, noting (56.9 percent). all social involvement and protection shared classics and quality titles on Chinese lifestyle,” Zhang said. “Qual Chinese read an average 4.65 print that, on average, they read 10.36 Only 20.5 percent of them con of the less privileged,” Zhang added. the human society with essence of ity works are scarce compared with ed books and 2.84 digital publica books a year, 1.45 more than in 2018. nected to read books, newspapers or Additionally, more quality works traditional Chinese culture, revolu the large amount of titles published tions, whereas in 2018, those figures The report found that their mobile journals. and reading events are key elements, tionary culture and advanced social every year; reading is fragmented by were 4.67 and 3.32, respectively. phones were the preferred method Zhang, along with many other two he says, and families and schools are ist culture. many other distractions.” Both dropped slightly. of consuming written media among sessions deputies and members, encouraged to devote more time and One prominent trend found in the While most Chinese feel they’re Chinese readers. On average, adults thinks it’s the right time to restart effort to promoting reading. Contact the writer at 17th annual report on the Chinese not satisfied with the amount of spent 100.41 minutes a day on their legislative work on the matter. In In 2019, Beijing alone held more [email protected] Show must go on as Children’s Day gala adapts to pandemic
By XU FAN Additionally, four stars — actresses [email protected] Guan Xiaotong and Ju Jingyi, heart throb Wang Yuan, and ethnic Mongo As an annual event to celebrate lian singer Ayanga — will team up to Children’s Day in China on Monday, consecutively sing the theme songs of China Media Group — the country’s animated hits, including Super largest broadcaster — usually holds Wings and Panda and Little Mole. a dazzling, annual celebritystudded Renowned pianist Lang Lang is gala. also invited to perform a solo of Aza But the “tradition”, which has leas, the theme song of the 1974 clas been kept for 35 years, has been sic children’s film Sparkling Red forced to adapt as a result of the Star. COVID19 pandemic. Other celebrities set to join in the Instead of gathering crowds to gala also include actress Tong Liya, dance and sing on the stage, this who will narrate the story of The year’s gala, which will air on Mon Plump Hands, and singer Cai Guo day, will employ mostly prerecorded qing alongside his son who will per content such as poem recitations, form a musical story which reminds says Xu Beibei, who has served as the Left: Hosts at a Children’s Day gala, Our Festival, which will air on Monday on the group’s eight channels and platforms, including CCTV1 youth to cherish food and the work gala’s chief director for three consec and CCTV14. Right: Renowned pianist Lang Lang is invited to perform at the gala. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY of others. utive years. As this year marks the culmina Xu says that she believes such a dented experience and it was very agronomist Yuan Longping, a pio from the role models, the show will too, as it evokes memories of its clas tion of China’s goal to comprehen change could also have its positives hard, even for adults, let alone for neer of hybrid rice; 95yearold war also have narrated stories, varying sic 1980 animated adaptation. sively build an economically better — it could expand the stage digitally, children. During the most critical hero Zhang Fuqing; sports legend from reallife tales about people’s “The visual tone is set in pink and society, which was initiated in 2017, inviting more children to join the time, which lasted for almost three Lang Ping, chief coach of China fight against COVID19 to fairy tales blue, which will not make children the gala has invited children from production than ever. months, children were unable to women’s volleyball team; and Wang selected from Chinese children’s text feel sad but help them see a glimmer farflung areas such as Shibadong China’s schools often start a new play outside and couldn’t meet their Yaping, the first Chinese female books. of hope,” says Xu, adding that she village in Hunan province and Dali spring semester after the winter friends,” says Xu. astronaut who gave science lessons For instance, actress Han Xue will hopes the story is reminiscent of ang Mountains in Sichuan province vacation, but most students were Setting a goal to comfort and during her space flight on the Shen retell the story of The Snow Child, a those COVID19 fighters who risked that have lifted themselves out of forced to take a much longer “holi encourage the nation’s next genera zhou X manned mission in 2013. renowned fairy tale wrote by novel their lives for the sake of others’ poverty. day” due to the outbreak. tion, the show has invited six celebri Several of the six marquee guests ist Ji Hong, which fictionalizes that a safety. “We hope the show will bring chil While many of the country’s ties who are considered as the icons will answer questions from curious snow boy sacrifices his life to rescue My Father and Mother, a picture dren warmth, joy and power,” says pupils have returned to campus, of our era. children via remote video connec his friend, a little rabbit, from a book anthology specially created for Xu. albeit with face masks and obeying Among them are top epidemiolo tion, which will be a highlighted sec house that has caught on fire. the gala, has invited eight children to This year’s Children’s Day gala, strict social distancing protocols, gists Zhong Nanshan and Li Lanju tion of the show, in order to help The program will use virtualreali respectively narrate one story each named Our Festival, airs during some cities, such as Beijing, have yet an, both household names since their children build values and goals for ty technology to build a world of ice about their parents, who became prime time on China Media Group’s to see a general reopening of schools. heroic efforts in fighting COVID19 their future, reveals director Xu. and snow that is also expected to cre superheroes to them for their devo eight channels and platforms, “The outbreak was an unprece on the front lines became known; In addition to warm greetings ate a sense of nostalgia in parents, tion in the battle against COVID19. including CCTV1 and CCTV14.