FEATURE

TEXT_Kiki Bai

PHOTOS_Kiki Bai

ILLUSTRATOR _ Lao On On

To celebrate the “World Book Day” on April 23, the Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) held the “Macao Library Week”, an event of the series of activities of the “City of Reading”, spanning from April to May, covering over 290 activities, and attracting more than 70,000 participants. The activities included the promotion day of the “Macao Library Week”, in which the venue was moved to the Macao Cultural Centre for the first year, as well as reading promotion activities in various communities of Macao. It is expected that readers can get close to reading in different ways, thinking after reading books and nourishing their souls in the “City of Reading”.

This year, IC’s Public Library specially planned the “Macao Library Week” on a larger scale than before, and launched a number of reading promotion activities from April 15 to May 14, including a carnival-style promotion day of the “Macao Library Week” held at the Macao Cultural Centre, covering diversified reading promotion projects such as game booths, reading activities, workshops, lectures, book exhibitions, book exchange, book sales and other diverse reading promotion projects in the venue, with even more exciting and diverse artistic and cultural performances led by multiple schools in Macao. Moreover, in the “4•23 Reading in the City” session, students of Hou Kong Middle School of Macao led the participants to participate in the “Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Reading Activity ‘Reading Together for Half An Hour’” in the form of recitation. The art groups and essay groups of the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao 4•23 World Book Day Creative Contest (Macao Region)” were also participated by many schools and students, and their award-winning works were also exhibited in many schools and public libraries in Macao. To invite all sectors of society to respond to the “4.23 Reading in the City” event, IC’s Public Library has recruited multiple units and individuals from across Macao to participate in the reading activities which have recorded a doubled number of registered participants and units. In terms of community reading activities, “Reading Flash Mob”, the activity “I have coffee, do you have a book?”, as well as the Pop-up Library available in many public places in Macao for free access to books and other activities create an atmosphere of community reading in many ways. The “Macao Library Week” is full of splendor, and the following content will one by one introduce to readers in detail.

The launching ceremony of the “Macao Library Week” in 2023.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), the Library of the University of Macau (UM), and the Macao Library & Information Management Association (MLIMA) jointly hosted the “Macao Library Week” in 2023 from April 15 to May 14. The main project of “Macao Library Week”, its promotion day, was held from April 22 to 23, which was moved to be held in the Macao Cultural Centre for the first time for two consecutive days. On the day of the launching ceremony, the “4.23 Reading in the City” and the Guangdong Hong Kong- Macao Reading Activity “Reading Together for Half An Hour” were also held. Students from Hou Kong Middle School of Macao were invited to lead on-site participants to read together. The students recited passionately, bringing a lively reading experience. The Talks on Reading – Short Talk and Sharing Session” also invited Hong Kong’s famous host Janis Chan, the famous designer in Macao Au Chon Hin, and the professional football player of Macao Leong Ka Hang to give lectures, so that the audience can explore the beauty and significance between the lines in books by connecting their life and industry experiences in different fields with books.

An abundance of exciting activities were also held on site. In addition to the signature activities “Book Exchange” and “Magazine Sales”, there are also a number of projects suitable for different communities to participate, including game booths, handicraft workshops, interactive performances of clowns and magicians, children’s book exhibitions, parent-child reading, flash mob reading activities, art performances, and book fairs. Furthermore, the 4 Literary Lectures given by local authors Tan Jian Qiao, Li I, Lawrence Lei, and Lin Ge respectively, as well as the Thematic Lecture - Journey to the West by Associate Professor of Department of Chinese of the Fudan University Zhang Yi, which also provided more in-depth reading experiences to the audience.

Students of Macao’s Hou Kong Middle School lead on-site participants to read.

The joy of reading lies within or outside texts, the sharing of books, parent-child reading, interactive performances, game booths, etc. for participants to have fun in a variety of rich and interesting ways. On the promotion day of the “Macao Library Week” in 2023, children and their parents moved their hands together and immersed themselves in handicraft activities for parent-child fun. On the other side, participants also received colorful and uniquely shaped balloons from the hands of the clown, and saw with bated breath how the words in the book in the hands of the magician suddenly turned upside down! In the evergreen event “Book Exchange”, many “bookworms” came to hunt for treasures, taking the “World Book Day” as an opportunity to exchange books for books, to start an interesting reading journey together in the same space.

On the site, a number of booth games were popular among parents and children, including game booths such as the “Treasure Hunt in the Library”, “Assembling Library”, and “Interactive Board Games”; handicraft workshops such as the “Light Clay Bookmark” and the “Heat-shrink Key Ring”; the parent-child reading activity “The World of Stories” that combines storytelling, singing, and interactive games; and the “Silent Reading” which leads the members of the public to enjoy leisure parent-child reading time, etc. Through various fun activities, it is hoped that members of the public will be encouraged to enjoy reading, explore the diverse and vibrant world of books, and deepen their understanding of public library services.

Children are having fun at the “Treasure Hunt in the Library”

The clown is twisting balloons of different colors in different shapes, which delight adults and children alike!

A unique world of reading is opened for parents and their children through various handicraft workshops.

In addition to the “Macao Library Week”, the recruitment of the Reading Spots of the “4•23 Reading in the City” has received enthusiastic support from all sectors of society, attracting more than 140 units and approximately 43,000 people to sign-up and participate. The types of participating units are also more diverse than before, covering government departments, banks, public institutions, private enterprises, gaming concessionaires, clubs, cultural units, educational units, as well as social service facilities such as daycare centers, youth homes, and elderly care homes. Moreover, the forms of activities are various. For instance, workshops are used to convey the concept and knowledge of parent child reading, and book fairs, book recommendations, book clubs, script performances, bookmark production, book exchange and bookcrossing are conducted. There are also members from different groups and organizations visiting the library for reading and sharing. Furthermore, reading activities combining science, tea, interactive games, specimen observation, body rhythm, sensory exploration, reading picture books together, storytelling, and handicrafts suitable for participants of all ages and groups were also held.

The association gathers people of different ages and backgrounds to meet friends with books.

The organization of parent-child reading activities allows the adults and the childrenenjoy reading together.

The school responds to reading together recruitment by organizing different reading activities on campus.

Companies and corporations are calling on their employees to read togetherand share their reading experiences.

In order to warm up the atmosphere before the “Macao Library Week”, a series of community reading promotion activities were carried out in different places in the streets and alleys, among which “Reading Flash Mob” sessions were held, respectively, at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, Largo de S. Domingos, the pavement of the Former Iec Long

Firecracker Factory, Rotunda de Carlos da Maia, and the Iao Hon Market Park. During the flash mob sessions, literature, music, and rich body language were used to convey stories in the streets, bringing an interesting interactive reading experience to the audience. On this day, the “Magic Lamp Genie Tek Tek” and the “Fairy of Learning Iao Iao” flashed to the bustling Ruins of St. Paul’s, and invited the audience to randomly pick up picture books from the treasure bag, the “Magic Lamp Genie Tek Tek” and the “Fairy of Learning Iao Iao” then change their costumes to play the stories, sharing with everyone stories in the picture books. During the period, the sessions not only attracted many members of the public and tourists to stop by, watch, and pick up their phones or cameras to capture the wonderful performances in front of them but also formed a unique landscape in different tourist attractions.

In addition, “I have coffee, do you have a book?” connects coffee, life, and reading. The event cooperates with about 20 exclusive coffee shops in Macao to provide readers withdiscounts on coffee purchases, encouraging members of the public to enjoy leisure time in a combination of coffee and books.

“Reading Flash Mob” flashed in different places, singing, dancing and telling stories to passers-by.

The “Pop-up library” is set up in different corners of the community, allowing members of the public to read their favorite books for free.

Have you ever thought that reading can also be turned into a treasure hunt? The “Pop-up library” campaign set up bookshelves in 15 community locations in Macao for members of the public to read books for free. A total of about 700 books were distributed during the event. The eye-catching bookshelves, in addition to being placed in different places in turn “without prior notice”, could also allow members of the public to track the whereabouts of the bookshelves in the streets and alleys through the reminders posted by the library on social platforms, thereby opening up the treasure trove of knowledge in the community.