To promote the habit of reading, the Ministry of Culture will hold an inaugural series of events to celebrate World Book Day on April 23.
The Ministry will help connect a network of 100 independent bookstores, three national bookstore chains, two online bookstores, three digital publishing platforms, and two book streets in Taipei to jointly promote the event.
Taking place across all cities in Taiwan, the series will offer forums, story-telling sessions, e-reading trials, reading camps, book fairs, exhibitions, and various family activities for the public to enjoy reading.
Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun noted that this will be the Ministry's first time celebrating World Book Day, which was first launched by UNESCO on April 23, 1995. Auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien has also publicly encouraged people to read more, she added, noting that reading can boost people's imagination and creativity.
The Minister also recommended "The Stolen Bicycle (單車失竊記)” by Wu Ming-yi (吳明益), a novel that presents the history and collective memories of Taiwan through the protagonist's journey in searching for his father's stolen bicycle.
In addition to bookstores, the Ministry will invite professionals from different fields, including astrologer Jesse Tang (唐綺陽), director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖), scholar R.C.T. Lee (李家同), and author Hsieh Che-ching (謝哲青), to serve as reading ambassadors and share their reading experiences and recommend books.
Moreover, the Ministry has invited city and county governments to connect local libraries with regional bookstores and cultural organizations. They are scheduled to organize public reading projects that will run through July.
Additional reading corners will be offered at locations such as hotels across Taiwan and banks like E.SUN Commercial Bank to promote reading in everyday life.
For more information, please visit the event website at www.worldbookday.tw.