The 15th Zibo Municipal Reading Day kicks off on April 23. [Photo/zbnews.net]
The city of Zibo – located in East China's Shandong province – held an opening ceremony for the 15th Zibo Municipal Reading Day on April 23 – on World Book and Copyright Day.
Zibo has held its reading festival for 15 consecutive sessions since 2008.
The launch ceremony was held both online and on-site. Online events included readers' messages, a book promotion and an interactive lottery.
The festival includes 19 events, such as a recitation contest, two essay competitions, a book exhibition and some reading promotional activities.
At the opening ceremony, medals were awarded to 35 villages and communities, 10 towns and sub-districts and three demonstration centers that have set good examples to encourage everybody to read. Plaques were presented to a caring enterprise supporting a troubled children's reading program.
A volunteer team of 100 people took a flag with the words "leads in reading aloud". They will organize readers from schools, agencies, enterprises and military barracks to participate in reading.
Volunteer representatives wave a flag to raise the curtain for this year's reading-for-all program in Zibo. [Photo/zbnews.net]
Zibo has carried out a reading campaign to build up its image as a "literary Zibo" since last October, satisfying the needs of locals and creating an atmosphere that encourages the gentle pastime in every corner of the city.
Residents read books at the city's library. [Photo/zbnews.net]
