Preface

Gu Xiancheng, an officer of the Ming Dynasty, wrote a famous couplet during his lecture in Donglin Academy in Wuxi, Jiangsu. The couplet runs: ‘Sound of wind, rain and reading, all inside my ears; issues of home, nation and the world, all inside my heart’.

In terms of home issues, interviewees of the new issue of Books & the City include a local literati who writes about the Historic Centre of Macao, a local historian specialising in World War II and a retired driver from the mobile library.

For national issues, on the occasion of the 66th National Day, this issue will introduce a few books related to China’s outlook, covering various genres such as a novel, a prose, a reportage literature and a photographic album.

Activity highlights include an ancient map exhibition held in the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library to demonstrate Macao’s important role in the history of international transport, as well as book recommendations written by columnists from Macao, Taiwan and the UK. These are issues of the world.