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Club founder Fu Xiaoping (front left) introduces Liu Yuqing, vice-president of the China Society for the Study of the Book of Songs, and other guests at a book launch event in the club. [PHOTO BY ZHAO XIANGLONG/FOR CHINA DAILY] |
Book club inspires members as it becomes a story of dreams coming true, report Yang Feiyue in Beijing and Sun Ruisheng in Xinzhou, Shanxi.
Tuesdays are special for some people in the county-level city of Yuanping, Xinzhou, North China's Shanxi province. They are literally turning a new page on life. Once they get off work, they grab a pen, bring a notebook and head for the Yuanping Library. There the Time Reading Club will meet and discuss books that its members have recently read.
Such book readings and discussions have been hosted by the club's founder Fu Xiaoping for six years.
Since its establishment in December 2014, the club has held various reading-based events each Tuesday evening, and launched 200 lectures delivered by established artists and academics, to promote reading and the development of a reading society.
The club has been called "a university without walls" by its members, because it welcomes people from all walks of life, including farmers, workers, teachers, doctors and entrepreneurs.
It was the brainchild of Fu, who set up the organization out of her own love for books. The 45-year-old was born into a literary family in Yuanping, and has loved reading since childhood.
Her initial reason for launching the club was simple－to make amends for not going to a top university. It also allowed her to read books and share ideas.
"I dreamed of going to a top university in my high school years, but I failed to enroll in a good one, because of my low score in the college entrance exams," Fu confides with frankness.
After graduation, she obtained a job at a local social insurance service center, got married and had a child. Life went on, but Fu couldn't forget her dream.
Setting up a reading club seemed to be a perfect solution.
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The 15th Chinese Film Festival in Bangkok and the 2020 China-Thailand Film Exchange Week opens at the China Cultural Center in Bangkok on Oct 25, 2020. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org] |
On Oct 25, the opening ceremony of the 15th Chinese Film Festival in Bangkok and the 2020 China-Thailand Film Exchange Week was held at the China Cultural Center in Bangkok. The event was hosted by the China Cultural Center in Bangkok and received strong support from the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and the Thai Ministry of Culture.
The COVID-19 pandemic doesn't impede the enthusiasm for cultural exchange between China and Thailand. This film festival uses live broadcast to present the opening ceremony and host the "China-Thailand Film Exchange and Cooperation Online Seminar". During the film festival, audiences can use the online platform of the China Cultural Center in Bangkok to watch films online, which greatly increases the global reach of the festival.
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Gu Hongxing, director of the China Cultural Center in Bangkok and China Tourism Office in Bangkok, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org] |
Gu Hongxing, director of Bangkok's China Cultural Center and China Tourism Office, said film can not only introduce one's national culture, but also reflect unique social landscapes. Film has become an important part of cultural exchange between countries and enhance mutual understanding among people around the world.
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Yang Xin, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org] |
Yang Xin, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand 45 years ago, the mutual trust between the two countries has continued to deepen, economic and trade cooperation has expanded, cultural exchanges have become closer, and all-around cooperation has achieved fruitful results. Both China and Thailand have a vast film market. As a traditional project of cultural exchanges between China and Thailand, the Bangkok Chinese Film Festival has laid a solid foundation for film cooperation between the two countries for 15 years and will add new drive to the promotion of cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Thailand.
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Itthiphol Kunplome, Thailand's minister of culture, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org] |
Thailand's Minister of Culture Itthiphol Kunplome said in his speech the governments and people of Thailand and China have been in constant exchange. Cooperation in various fields has developed steadily, and the film festival is another important event to further promote cultural exchanges between the two countries. The people of the two countries can promote their understanding of the cultures of both sides through films, and promote friendly relations and cooperation in other perspectives.
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