Inaugural Hong Kong Reading for All Day fosters reading habit citywide

The Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) on Tuesday (April 23) held "Read Together for Half an Hour" activities at the Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL) and various LCSD venues on the first Hong Kong Reading for All Day.

The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, attended the "Read Together for Half an Hour" activity at the Exhibition Gallery of the HKCL today. He read together with students participating in the Hong Kong Inter-school Chinese Reading Contest organized by the Hong Kong Teacher-Librarians' Association a book from the book list of the contest. Through the lively introduction of the Dunhuang murals and the Silk Road in the book, Mr Yeung encouraged the students to further explore and appreciate the values and attitudes in Chinese culture.

Mr Yeung said that reading was not bounded by time nor location. Once people pick up a book or a chapter they like, they can enjoy the journey themselves. He encouraged the public to read more and make it a habit.

Apart from the HKCL, the LCSD set up various reading locations today at a number of its venues, including the Oil Street Art Space in North Point, the Kowloon Park Arcade and selected libraries, where a variety of books were placed for members of the public to read. Souvenirs were given to those who participated in "Read Together for Half an Hour" activities at the reading locations in selected public libraries. The Education Bureau today also held joint secondary and primary school 30-minute reading activities to enhance the reading ambiance on campus, with more than 220 schools joining the activities. The Hong Kong Publishing Federation invited the public to join the "Read Together for Half an Hour" activity at the "Hong Kong Reading+" carnival at New Town Plaza in Sha Tin.

In addition, starting from today, the maximum number of loaned library items of the HKPL has been raised from eight to 10 to encourage and enable readers to cultivate a reading habit.

For details of more events of Hong Kong Reading Week, please visit the thematic website (www.hkpl.gov.hk/hkrw).