The accumulation of knowledge lies in learning, whereas the joy of life lies in reading. The charm of reading is not only understanding the true meaning of life from books but also turning it into a variety of forms full of fun, thereby enjoying the endless fun brought by reading. The theme of this issue is “Reading • Joy — the “City of Reading” Series of Activities”, and it is hoped that readers will wander in the sea of books through a variety of activities as if they are enjoying a spring breeze.
This issue reviews the two-day carnival-style promotion day held by the Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) in the Macao Library Week 2023, which not only continued the traditional items such as reading activities, book exchange and magazine sales, but also combined a number of outdoor flash mob reading activities such as the “Reading Flash Mob”. In addition, various community activities such as Pop-up Library were also set up all over the city, encouraging the public to absorb nutrients of reading in different ways and providing a reading feast for all readers.
The “Library Handbook” introduces the “Talks on Reading — Short Talk and Sharing Session”, one of the city-wide reading activities on “4 • 23 Reading in the City” as a key activity in which Hong Kong’s famous host Janis Chan, Macao’s football player Leong Ka Hang, and Macao’s well-known designer Au Chon Hin were invited to share with readers about the spiritual healing brought about by reading, and how it illuminated their future in life. In addition, IC collaborated with the National Library of China (National Center for Conservation and Preservation of Ancient Books) to launch an online “Theoretical Course on the Conservation and Restoration of Ancient Books” in April, through which the Director of Office of China National Center for Preservation & Conservation of Ancient Books Wang Honglei, and a nationally renowned expert in the restoration of ancient books Du Weisheng shared the meaning of the course design and the significance of ancient book restoration in the “Library Handbook”.
The interviewee of this issue’s “Author’s Say” Fong Wai Peng released the Fong Wai Peng’s Painting Works: Green Mountain last year. In addition to continuing the creative concept of ecological conservation in Treasure of the Ilha Verde Mountain, she boldly and innovatively adopted a unique pigment in the painting process, presenting the vibrant natural scenery and realizing the unparalleled beauty of nature.
The so-called topic of “People will be lost as if they are walking in the dark if they do not read” is carefully crafted in this issue. It is expected readers could immerse themselves in the “City of Reading”, resist the mediocrity of life, explore the vastness of the world, and thereby nourish their inner growth.