In 1995, 10-year-old Zhou Qinggui from Hangtou, a village in the city of Linyi, Shandong province, was expected to drop out of school after elementary level due to poverty. A passionate reader who carried books while tending livestock and gathering pigweed, Zhou was heartbroken.
1995年，山东临沂杭头村10岁的周庆贵因家境贫寒，小学毕业后便面临辍学。这个放牧、打猪草时都手不释卷的孩子，伤心欲绝。
To allow the boy to continue his education, his mother borrowed money, and his elder brother and younger sister both gave up schooling, one after the other.
为了让周庆贵继续读书，母亲四处借钱，哥哥和妹妹也先后辍学。
In 2021, Zhou and six childhood friends — truck drivers, ride-hailing drivers, decorators, small hardware store owners — raised more than 80,000 yuan ($11,730) and turned Zhou's old, 240-square-meter house into a library where village children could study and read.
2021年，周庆贵与六位儿时伙伴——如今是货车司机、网约车司机、装修工、五金店小老板——共同筹资八万余元，将周家240平米的老宅改造成了一座图书馆，供村里孩子们学习阅读。
In 2019, Zhou, then a PhD candidate at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, returned to the village — which has a population of 8,000 to 10,000, including many children whose parents work elsewhere — for thesis work.
2019年，当时还是上海交通大学博士研究生的周庆贵，为撰写论文回到这个拥有八九千人口、留守儿童众多的村庄。
Walking around, he found that despite economic gains, with factories replacing wheat fields, there was a lack of quiet reading spaces. While many families were better off than before, the absence of a reading culture had led to excessive time spent on entertainment, and without college graduate role models, children hesitated to dream big.
走访中他发现，尽管麦田变工厂，经济条件改善了，但村里缺少安静的阅读空间。许多家庭虽比以前富裕，阅读氛围的缺失却让孩子们把大量时间花在娱乐上；加之缺乏大学生榜样，孩子们不敢怀揣远大梦想。
"To improve the cultural climate, education is key, and building a library could be a concrete step forward," Zhou wrote in his WeChat public account.
"要改善文化风气，教育是关键，而建一座图书馆是实实在在能迈出的一步。"周庆贵在个人微信公众号中写道。
"It should be a cultural space that can provide a wider spiritual world for children to elevate their confidence and broaden their vision, rather than a space for kids to finish their homework," Zhou said.
"它应该是一个文化空间，能为孩子们提供更广阔的精神世界，提升他们的自信心，开阔他们的眼界，而不仅仅是写作业的地方。"周庆贵说。
He named the library Siyuan — which means "remember the source" in Chinese — after his alma mater's motto: "Drink water and remember the source; love your country and honor your school."
他将图书馆命名为"思源"，取自母校上海交大"饮水思源，爱国荣校"的校训。
His 70-year-old father manages the library as a volunteer. Retired teachers from nearby schools also help, organizing books, creating reading lists and guiding children.
他70岁的父亲义务管理着图书馆。附近学校的退休教师也来帮忙，整理图书、制定阅读书单、给孩子们以指导。
Over five years, the library has collected more than 20,000 volumes, from children's picture books to classics.
五年间，思源图书馆的藏书从儿童绘本到经典名著，已超过两万册。
Now the Siyuan Library serves as a study and reading space for over 30 people, and its visitor register has recorded more than 1,000 names. To attract more children, Zhou, now a teacher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, gives remote lessons on a regular basis. During winter and summer breaks, he returns to the village to discuss daily studies, college entrance exam goals and career planning. He also invites the university's alumni to give talks, and organizes exchange activities with key city middle schools.
如今，思源图书馆可供30余人同时学习阅读，来访登记簿上已记录了一千多个名字。为了吸引更多孩子，已是上海交大教师的周庆贵定期远程授课。寒暑假时，他便回到村里，和孩子们探讨日常学业、高考目标及职业规划。他还邀请大学校友前来讲座，并组织与城市重点中学的交流活动。
Gradually, Zhou has seen the library grow into a cherished learning space. In the beginning, bad habits such as littering were common. But he stressed that the library was meant to teach not only knowledge, but also moral values. Now, students tidy up before they leave.
渐渐地，周庆贵看着图书馆成长为一方备受珍视的学习天地。起初，乱扔垃圾等不良习惯很常见，但他强调，图书馆不仅要传授知识，也要涵养品德。现在，学生们离开前都会主动收拾整洁。
Furthermore, while village children pick up good study habits and confidence, their parents have also embraced a new habit — reading together with their children.
不仅如此，村里的孩子们在养成良好学习习惯和树立自信的同时，家长们也养成新习惯——与孩子一起阅读。
Zhou took great pride when 14 village students entered universities in 2024. In 2025, that number rose to 34, making him even happier.
2024年，村里有14名学生考上大学，这让周庆贵倍感自豪。到了2025年，这个数字增至34人，更令他欣喜不已。
He plans to open two or three more branches in other villages, using the same principles — the libraries should genuinely help a large number of people, and access should always be free.
他计划在其他村子再开办两到三个分馆，遵循同样的原则——图书馆要实实在在惠及更多人，且永远免费开放。
"I hope to use a platform like the Siyuan Library to leverage the power of the humanities to help drive economic and social progress," he said.
"我希望借助思源图书馆这样的平台，发挥人文的力量，助力推动经济和社会进步。"他说。
Zhou's efforts are part of a broader national movement to promote reading and cultivate a book-loving society in China.
周庆贵的努力是中国推动全民阅读、建设书香社会这一广泛国家行动的一部分。
In a letter to the First National Conference on Reading in April 2022, President Xi Jinping said: "Reading is an important avenue for humans to acquire knowledge, expand wisdom and cultivate virtues. It enlightens us and helps us aim high and stand upright. … I hope that all our children will have a habit of reading, enjoy reading and grow up in a healthy way. I wish all of our people are engaged in reading and contribute to an atmosphere where everyone loves reading, has good books to read and knows how to gain from reading."
2022年4月，习近平主席在致首届全民阅读大会的贺信中指出："阅读是人类获取知识、启智增慧、培养道德的重要途径，可以让人得到思想启发，树立崇高理想，涵养浩然之气。……希望孩子们养成阅读习惯，快乐阅读，健康成长；希望全社会都参与到阅读中来，形成爱读书、读好书、善读书的浓厚氛围。"
For decades, China has been trying to provide an environment conducive to reading, including the promotion of reading among all people in the annual government work report for 13 consecutive years.
数十年来，中国一直致力于营造有利于阅读的环境，已连续13年将"全民阅读"写入政府工作报告。
And so, thanks to years of effort, a book-loving society is taking shape. Between 2012 and 2024, the overall reading rate among adult citizens in China rose steadily, from 76.3 percent to 82.1 percent, according to Xinhua News Agency.
经年努力，书香社会渐成风气。据新华社报道，2012年至2024年间，我国成年国民综合阅读率从76.3%稳步提升至82.1%。
During the 2025 two sessions, the annual gatherings of the nation's top legislative and political advisory bodies, Xi pointed out that the "aroma of books" represents a desirable cultural atmosphere, and he called for fostering a book-loving society in which people read widely, choose good books and draw wisdom and nourishment from them.
在2025年全国两会期间，习近平指出，"书香"是一种令人向往的文化氛围，要倡导人们广泛阅读、选择好书，从中汲取智慧和营养，推动书香社会建设。
On Feb 1, a State Council regulation to promote reading among the public took effect. The regulation establishes the fourth week of April each year as "National Reading Week", with the first such week running from Monday to April 26 this year.
今年2月1日，国务院颁布的《全民阅读促进条例》正式施行。条例明确，每年4月第四周为"全民阅读活动周"。首个全民阅读周于今年4月20日至26日举行。
In Beijing, the 2026 Spring Book Fair — the city's first large-scale cultural gathering centered around physical bookstores — kicked off on Saturday and will run through May 17. With over 2,000 bookstores participating in four major venues — Chaoyang Park, Nanyuan Forest Wetland Park, Shougang Industrial Heritage Park and the Old Summer Palace — the fair offers readers an engaging and interactive cultural environment.
在北京，2026年春季书市于上周六（4月18日）拉开帷幕，将持续至5月17日。这是北京今年首个以实体书店为核心的大型文化盛会。全市超过2000家书店在朝阳公园、南苑森林湿地公园、首钢工业遗址公园、圆明园四大主会场亮相，为读者营造出沉浸互动式的文化氛围。
In addition, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, is hosting this year's National Conference on Reading from Monday to Wednesday, featuring a series of events such as book fairs and exhibitions.
此外，今年的全民阅读大会于4月20日至22日在江西南昌举办，配套举行书展、展览等系列活动。
Speaking at a symposium at China University of Political Science and Law on May 3, 2017, President Xi called for young people to cherish their time, be diligent in their studies and settle down to read more classics.
2017年5月3日，习近平在中国政法大学考察时勉励青年，要珍惜时光，勤奋学习，静下心来多读经典。
Dan Hansong, a professor of English language and literature at Nanjing University, said that teachers should create an environment in which genuine reading is valued, rather than overwhelming them with excessive assignments.
南京大学英语语言文学教授但汉松认为，教师应创造重视真正阅读的环境，而不是让学生被过重的课业负担压垮。
Because he finds it difficult to ensure independent work when assigning take-home final papers, he focuses instead on the reading process itself and encourages students to share personal reactions to texts.
他坦言，布置期末论文带回家写，很难保证学生独立完成，因此他更侧重于阅读过程本身，鼓励学生分享个人的阅读感悟。
As public libraries play a crucial role in the building of a book-loving society, China now has over 3,200 public libraries at the county level and above, along with nearly 68,000 library branches and service points.
公共图书馆在建设书香社会中扮演关键角色。目前，中国共有县以上公共图书馆超过3200个，图书馆分馆及服务点近6.8万个。
In a reply letter to experts from the National Library of China on Sept 8, 2019, Xi said that libraries are an important symbol of a country's cultural development and an important place to nourish the people's spiritual world and cultivate cultural confidence.
2019年9月8日，习近平在给国家图书馆老专家的回信中指出，图书馆是国家文化发展水平的重要标志，是滋养民族心灵、培育文化自信的重要场所。
ride-hailing driver /raɪd ˈheɪlɪŋ ˈdraɪvər/网约车司机
better off /ˈbetər ɒf/更富裕的；境况更好的
alma mater /ˌælmə ˈmɑːtər/母校
alumnus /əˈlʌmnəs/校友；毕业生（男性）
embrace /ɪmˈbreɪs/拥抱；欣然接受
cultivate a book-loving society /ˈkʌltɪveɪt ə bʊk ˈlʌvɪŋ səˈsaɪəti/建设书香社会
enlighten /ɪnˈlaɪtən/启迪；启发
conducive to /kənˈdjuːsɪv tuː/有助于……的；有益于……的
two sessions /tuː ˈseʃənz/两会
diligent /ˈdɪlɪdʒənt/勤奋的；勤勉的
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