First Hong Kong Reading Week to kick off in April (with photos)
9.4.2024

To tie in with the first Hong Kong Reading for All Day to be held on April 23, the Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will join hands with various stakeholders to organise the first Hong Kong Reading Week from April 20 to 28. A series of large-scale territory-wide reading activities will be rolled out to encourage the public to enjoy the pleasure of reading and cultivate a reading habit, so as to foster a citywide reading ambience and build Hong Kong into a city of avid readers. Addressing the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Reading Week, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, said that the LCSD would organise over 200 online and offline library activities under the theme of "Self/LIBRARY" to enable members of the public to experience the joy of reading. In support of the establishment of the Chinese Culture Promotion Office earlier this month, the HKPL will put the reading focus on books related to Chinese history, stories of celebrities and venerable tradition to promote Chinese culture. Meanwhile, starting from April 23, the maximum number of loaned library items will be raised from eight to 10 to encourage and enable readers to read more. In support of the theme "Arts and Action" of this year's Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival, the HKPL will launch the Creative Writing Event and Roving Exhibition on "Chivalrous Heroes: My Favourite Characters in Martial Arts Novels", offering opportunities for those who love writing to demonstrate their creativity and let reading nourish their life. The inaugural Hong Kong Reading Week will feature an array of activities suitable for people of all ages. Some are even specially designed for parents and children. The HKPL will collaborate with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) to produce the radio programme "One-minute Reading" by inviting government officials, Legislative Council members, writers, athletes and celebrities to share their reading tips and recommended book lists. The broadcast will start on April 20. Apart from the radio programme, RTHK will also produce videos of these individuals sharing their tips. The videos will be uploaded onto the HKPL's website and social media platforms. In addition, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra will create a themed music video for Hong Kong Reading Week to disseminate the message of reading for all times through familiar music tunes. ããThe HKPL will also participate in the "2024 Hong Kong Reading+" carnival organised by Hong Kong Publishing Federation (HKPF) and sponsored by Create Hong Kong from April 20 to 23 at the New Town Plaza in Sha Tin. The carnival includes an opening ceremony of Hong Kong Reading Week and the 2024 Hong Kong Reading+ carnival on April 20. The HKPL will also introduce its electronic resources at the electronic reading experience zone with a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workshop tailor made for young readers to let them know more about relevant e-resources. In addition, the HKPF will stage an exhibition with the theme "n reasons for reading", alongside a themed book fair, electronic reading experience zone, parent-child workshops and various talks by renowned writers and music performances. Furthermore, the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee has accepted an invitation to display selected parent-child books from Shenzhen at the designated Shenzhen zone in the carnival to promote Shenzhen and Hong Kong co-reading. In response to the first Hong Kong Reading for All Day, the "2024 Hong Kong Reading+" will present over 30 activities in schools and the community from April 10 to May 12 to promote reading. On April 23, the first Hong Kong Reading for All Day, the HKPL will join hands with stakeholders to organise a number of activities. Apart from the main venue of the Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL), the LCSD will set up different reading locations in the department's venues and libraries for "Read Together for Half an Hour" activities. While the Education Bureau will organise joint secondary and primary school 30-minute reading activities to enhance the reading ambience at schools, the HKPF will invite the public to join the "Read Together for Half an Hour" activities at the "Hong Kong Reading+" carnival. The Hong Kong Teacher-Librarians' Association will organise the finale and awards presentation ceremony of the Hong Kong Inter-school Chinese Reading Contest, hoping to encourage students to read more extracurricular materials beneficial to the development of their mind and body through competitions. In addition, the HKCL will organise the Prize Presentation Ceremony of the 4.23 World Book Day Creative Competition, co-organised by Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao libraries, and a fun day at the Exhibition Gallery on April 27. The winning works created by students from the three areas under the theme "Reading Love (Love Reading)" will be on display. There will also be a lot of fascinating activities on the fun day including a story theatre on traditional Chinese stories, a Chinese acrobatic performance, booth activities and more. Special book shelves, thematic decorations and thematic book displays will be introduced in selected public libraries in each of the 18 districts to create a favourable reading environment. Game booths and workshops related to Chinese culture will also be organised. There are a lot more supporting events in the Hong Kong Reading Week, and members of the public can visit the thematic website ( www.hkpl.gov.hk/hkrw ) for the latest information and more details.