Turning a new page for village readers

"I was impressed by Peking University Professor Wang Zizhou's words — 'a school in a library can be much more important than a library in a school'. I hope people not only read books, but also 'read' films, music and even a broader world here," says Li.

Jin Yan, a 24-year-old animal husbandry professional, says Li's library has been an indispensable part of her life as she grew up. She often went to the library to read when in primary school, borrowed books regularly when she was a middle school student and worked as a volunteer helping to organize activities when she attended vocational high school.

"I was very introverted in childhood, but through organizing and participating in activities at the Weiguang Library, I opened up to people more. That changed my character," she says.

Now, working as an NPC deputy, Li pays a lot of attention to nationwide reading, which encourages more such activity among the public across the country from this year's Government Work Report. Li says villagers reading books is an important part of realizing the goal.

"Villages often lag behind cities in development. Therefore, we need to accelerate efforts in encouraging reading. The country's nationwide reading initiative not only advocates more reading, but also leads to appreciating films, dramas, and understanding daily events and even people," says Li.

"For example, it's almost impossible to persuade senior villagers to read books, since many of them have difficulty reading. But the old people themselves are just like books, who can share their stories with younger people, making young people feel like reading books. In the process, the old people are also reading their own books," says Li.

Li believes cultural construction is an important part of rural vitalization, since lack of education and ignorance is behind many problems in villages. Therefore, she suggests more guidance and supervision on rural cultural markets and more social forces participating in shaping rural culture.

"It must be a long-term goal, requiring continuous efforts infusing cultural vitality into villages. I'm optimistic about its future," says Li.

Contact the writers at wangru1@chinadaily.com.cn