What comes to your mind when speaking of autumn? You probably think of things related to the joy of harvest. It is hard to impress a southerner with the transient coolness of autumn, but why is the autumn scenery in our memory so beautiful? It turns out that the autumn scenery exists regardless of whether we perceive it or not: the golden ears of wheat given by nature, the ginkgo leaves floating from the trees like gold foil, and the sweet-scented osmanthus trees swaying in the autumn breeze… As French writer Guy de Maupassant put it in Un Normand, “Autumn, marvelous autumn, blended its gold and purple with the remaining traces of verdure, as if the sun poured down drops of light into the dense groves.”
This issue of Library Newsletter explores the theme of nature. In the authors’ writing, readers will be led to the jungles and mountains to appreciate the lush greenness, and to the wilderness and grassland to learn the way of survival, embracing nature through words. This issue will present not only the beauty of autumn, but also that of the four seasons. Through the article “Whisper of Nature”, readers will learn how the three well-known authors, who have written nature-themed books and periodicals from different aspects and in different writing styles, embarked on the path of depicting nature. The “Feature” section includes a recommended collection of nature-themed books on a wide range of subjects, which can help readers develop a more complete view of nature.
In recent years, in collaboration with the Macao Science Center (MSC), the Macao Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has held “A Different World of Science” and the “Friday Playground of Science Picture Books”, both of which are very popular among all ages. The “Library Portrait” interviewed MSC Education and Exhibits Controller Oscar Leong and Officer Nicole Wong, to reveal how the two institutions perfectly work together to execute these two activities. The “Library Handbook” introduces a small and beautiful thematic exhibition “Stimulating Taste Buds”. The exhibition originates from its namesake column of the IC’s WeChat account and showcases 30 books that have been shared in the column, thus triggering an online and offline interaction of participants. The “Author’s Say” brings the untold story behind the local Portuguese photographer Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro’s newly published photography collection “Desvelo．關愛．Zeal”, and gives the reason why he aimed his lens at the disadvantaged elderly in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Year Earth Changed” is an original program launched by APPLE TV+ earlier this year. This interesting program calls attention to the fact that under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, without human interference, the ecosystem has maintained unprecedented harmony in the year and a half since the outbreak of the pandemic. Our view of nature is being reshaped by reality, forcing us to cherish and respect nature more than ever. Through reading nature, we can better understand nature and reflect on the positive meaning of taking a “pause” of life.