No year could have been more dramatic than 2020. Now the spring flowers have come into bloom, and the entire city of Macao is eagerly anticipating the graceful approach of summer, bidding farewell to the spring haze and welcoming a beautiful rebirth.

During the days stuck at home, we trust you have taken comfort by reading more than a few books! After the outbreak of the epidemic, the value of books has greatly increased; in the Feature “Building Physical Strength through Reading” of this issue, Books and the City attempts to recommend books for you from the perspective of building physical and mental health, in which specialists demonstrate how to reveal the various secrets hidden in the “House of Gold”.

The “Library Handbook” section of this issue introduces the “Database of Macao Newspaper Clippings during the Second-Sino Japanese War”, which allows you to trace back through history to find out about all you want to know about Macao, and to gain new insights from old materials. “Author’s Say” features an interview with Macao’s renowned author Wong Man Fai, who released Living in Lotus Land: Deciphering the History and Culture of Macao’s Historical Architectures, a hugely popular book amongst fans of archeology, at the end of last year for the 20th anniversary of Macao’s return to the Motherland. Browsing through this book is like a conversation between time and space on a “Journey through Macao”. The “Library Portrait” section also features an interview with Francisco Peixoto, the Director at the University of Saint Joseph Library in Macao, where we can see the “people-oriented” philosophy has been deeply rooted in many of Macao’s university libraries.

At the beginning of May, the weather becomes more temperate. We believe reading can break through the high walls that life has placed before us, and reveal a wide-open space. Through reading, let us hasten after a healthy tomorrow.