District’s readers have

People’s’ zest for reading has been spurred by this year’s Shanghai Book Fair at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. The one-week gala attracted thousands of readers to its various theme days and activities.

“Songjiang Day” presented not only new books on the district, its culture and history, but also demonstrations of Gu embroidery, tea art, fan painting and

performances.

More than 200 residents took part in readings of poems on Sheshan Hill and prose about Songjiang’s scenic spots and episodes from “Sketches by the Little Window” by Songjiang writer Chen Jiru (1558-1639).

More than 500 copies of the Songjiang Tourism Map, 300 brochures about the district’s intangible cultural heritage, 100 postcard sets of 24 Solar Terms and 50 fan paintings were distributed.

“I’ve been to many historic sites in Songjiang, such as Zuibai Pond Park, Thames Town and Sheshan Hill. It’s a place full of rich history and culture as well as beautiful sceneries,” said visitor Zhang Guozheng, 70. The lucky reader got a free fan painting by Songjiang artist Kong Xiangkai.

Wang Guojun, 43, who has read extensively on sociology, history and geography, said: “Songjiang was the cradle of Shanghai culture, so to read about the district helps me know better about the city’s past.”

This year’s Shanghai Book Fair released more than 500 types of new books, held over 200 lectures and, for the first time, set up 100 branch venues across the city.

Songjiang’s bookstores, libraries, community cultural centers and “farmers’ studies” served as branch venues. They saw a surge of readers, from 5-year-olds to silver-haired elders, from farmers to office workers, who got “food for the mind” at their doorstop without having to travel downtown.

Farmers’ studies are expanding rapidly in Shanghai. Unlike downtown libraries or bookstores, offering, among other things, local newspapers, farming books, audiobooks for the elderly and e-book devices for the young.

“Culture is a big part of villagers’ lives today,” said Yuan Jing, a Songjiang government official. “Since we had the farmers’ study, many villagers have become more motivated to read, and children also like spending time there in holidays.”

Shanghai’s first community library, recently opened in Songjiang’s Sijing Town, has a collection of more than 10,000 volumes and a fast book borrow-and-return channel with downtown libraries.