In line with the global campaign of World Book Day 2021, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) has coordinated with governmental organizations, museums and independent bookstores to organize over 150 activities across Taiwan.
With the slogan "Keep Reading, Let’s Do it (Keep reading, Let’s讀it)," MOC announced the "Read Taiwan (走讀台灣)" program on April 23 at a press conference held at Taiwan Literature Base in Taipei. Those present included Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得), Su Shuo-bin (蘇碩斌), director of National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL), and writer Yang Shuang-zi (楊双子).
The series of events will revolve around six themes - literature and history, art, industrial culture, ecological science, social concern and cultural equality, and centennial of the establishment of Taiwanese Cultural Association (TCA). More than 100 cultural themed paths linking sites of interest and cultural events around the island have been mapped out and the public is invited to attend the events, including musical concerts, bazaars, exhibitions and film screenings.
Addressing the press conference, Premier Su quoted a Chinese proverb "He who travels far knows much," to emphasize the importance of broadening one's horizon through travelling and reading. He stated that, the government will continue to implement policies of encouraging reading and supporting the publishing industry, such as the Public Lending Right scheme.
On the other hand, Minister Lee mentioned specifically that one of the themes of this year's "Read Taiwan" program is to mark the centennial of the establishment of TCA, an important organization founded by Chiang Wei-shui in 1921. To commemorate TCA’s 100th anniversary, MOC has curated a series of exhibitions related to music, art, movies and literature to show the public how the initiators of the association have inspired people through art and culture. He said, purposes of the World Book Day are to enrich people’s knowledge and cultural literacy and to boost the publishing industry, through promoting the habit of reading.
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