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Prominent historical figures like Sun Yat-sen, one of the greatest leaders of modern China; Jeme Tien Yow, pioneer of China's modern railroads; Mei Lanfang, renowned Peking opera artist; Nie Er, composer of China's national anthem; Qi Baishi, influential contemporary Chinese painter; Hua Luogeng, distinguished mathematician; Cai Yuanpei, well-known educator; and esteemed writers Lu Xun, Xiao Hong and Bing Xin all had excellent achievements and contributions in different aspects. How did they realise their childhood dreams and overcome challenges in life to fulfil their missions?
Organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in association with Bring Me A Book Hong Kong, the annual popular large-scale family reading event Summer Reading Month 2011 opened today (July 16) at the Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL) with the thematic children's exhibition ¡§Eminent Figures in the Modern History of China¡¨. The exhibition, which ties in with the centenary of the 1911 Revolution, introduces childhood stories of outstanding people in modern China with aims to inspire parents and their children to learn about how the historical figures grew up and to spark an interest in reading.
To add colour to the Summer Reading Month, the ¡§Bringing Books Alive! Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award Touring Exhibition¡¨ will also be held at the same venue with 3-D mock-up displays to vividly illustrate scenes of some of the award-winning children's books.
In addition to the exhibitions, an array of about 200 fun and educational reading activities including various parent-child workshops, contests for families, variety shows, drama productions, talks and paired reading activities have been organised for family members to enjoy together.
Officiating at the Summer Reading Month 2011 launch ceremony today were the Under Secretary for Home Affairs, Ms Florence Hui, and the Board Governor of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong, Mrs Joanna Hotung. Other guests included daughter of the late Mr Feng Zikai, Ms Feng Yiyin; Founder of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong, Ms Lee Su Hwei; and famous local actress Ms Sandra Ng, who shared her experience of reading with her children.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Ms Florence Hui encouraged parents to bring their children to participate in the fabulous activities of Summer Reading Month to make good use of the summer holiday and help children to build up their knowledge base.
¡§Through regular reading, parents and children can be immersed in the enchantment of reading together and enjoy tremendous fun in their family life, which helps children to grow up healthier and happier,¡¨ she said.
The colourful thematic exhibition ¡§Eminent Figures in the Modern History of China¡¨ comprises five zones that illustrate the childhood dreams and different characters of various outstanding people. The ¡§Politico-economic Zone¡¨ introduces Sun Yat-sen, who firmly established his vision and mission at an early age; Huang Xing, who treated everything seriously; Wu Tingfang, who loved reading; and Zhang Jian, an industrialist. The ¡§Culture and Education Zone¡¨ showcases the stories of famous scholars when they were young, including Wang Yunwu, who did not finish primary school but learnt on his own to become a professor; Lin Yutang, who came from a poor family but succeeded to study in Harvard University; Cai Yuanpei, who always had a calm and peaceful mind; and Tao Xingzhi, who was determined to devote himself to society.
Featured in the ¡§Arts Zone¡¨ are renowned artist Mei Lanfang, who practised persistently to overcome any perceived shortcomings on the stage; Nie Er, who deeply dedicated himself to exploring the secrets of playing the flute; and Qi Baishi, who turned the hard life of paddy field farming into vigorous scenes in his paintings.
The ¡§Literature Zone¡¨ presents the youthful-hearted Xiao Hong, the curious Shen Congwen, the book-loving Bing Xin, the early bird Lu Xun, and Lao She, who treasured his rare opportunity to study. In the ¡§Science Zone¡¨, the stories of Jeme Tien Yow, Hua Luogeng and Wu Chien-shiung tell visitors that with curiosity, eagerness to think and self-discipline, one can become a scientist through self-study.
These people did their best to study on their own when they were children. They were driven by their curiosity and were brave enough to try to overcome the challenges in their lives. They ultimately realised their dreams, established their careers and made contributions to the modern history of China.
The ¡§Bringing Books Alive! Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award Touring Exhibition¡¨ is the first touring exhibition of its kind in Hong Kong. The award, named after renowned modern Chinese artist and writer Feng Zikai, recognises outstanding authors and illustrators of quality children's picture books originally written and published in the Chinese language.
The exhibition introduces a series of award-winning children's picture books by combining art and stories with fun. Selected scenes from award-winning books such as ¡§A New Year's Reunion¡¨, ¡§The Day Vegetables Became Goblins¡¨ and ¡§I Want to Be Different¡¨ are brought to life through 3-D models. It has individual bookcases dedicated to the award-winning books and displays illustrations selected from these books. In addition, some of Feng Zikai's illustrations and an introduction of significant milestones in his life and career are featured.
A series of interactive activities for the Summer Reading Month have been organised, including discussions with award-winning authors, talks on family literacy by leading scholars, storytelling sessions and interesting workshops for children and parents to exchange ideas.
Families can also enjoy the variety shows and competitions to be held at the Exhibition Gallery of the HKCL. They will include Chinese mask-changing and puppet shows, shadow puppetry, dance, instrumental music, choral concerts, talks on reading, handicraft and reading workshops, a contest on dramatisation of stories about historical Chinese figures and audio-visual programmes on eminent Chinese people. The exhibition and various activities are being held from now until August 15 with free admission.
The Chairperson of the Kowloon Region School Heads Association, Ms Mok Fung-yee, will share her experiences on the topic entitled ¡§Paired Reading Talk: Stimulating Children's Creativity in Love¡¨ from 3pm to 4.30pm on July 24. The talk, to be conducted in Cantonese, will be held at the Lecture Theatre of the HKCL.
Various reading activities including interactive storytelling of award-winning children's books, language learning through storytelling and fun workshops on origami, four-panel comics, comics on historical figures, drinking straw and ribbon handicrafts, Chinese knotting and paired reading will also be held in different public libraries.
Admission tickets are required for some of the programmes. Information details can be found in the booklet distributed at all public libraries. Enquiries can be made at 2921 2660, or visit the website at www.hkpl.gov.hk .
Ends/Saturday, July 16, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:24
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