The Open University of China (OUC), also known as the Seniors University of China (SUC), celebrated the 29th World Book Day on 23rd April with a thematic event, deeply aligning with the importance of enhancing national reading campaigns as mandated by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Attendees included Li Song, a member of the OUC Party Committee and OUC vice President; Liu Xuanxuan, deputy secretary of the OUC Party Committee and secretary of the OUC Discipline Inspection Commission; and Xu Mingjun, deputy secretary of the OUC Party Committee.

The event, jointly initiated by the OUC Library (OUC History Museum), Learning Resources Department, Publicity Department, Labour Union, and Publishing & Media Group, comprised three series: a book donation ceremony, a thematic book exhibition, and the initiation of a book recommendation and purchase channel.

On-Site Book Donation Ceremony

During the book donation segment, Professor Wang Huaichao, former deputy director of the Party School of the Central Committee of the C.P.C. (National Academy of Governance) and director of the Department of Scientific Socialism, former president of the Chinese Society of Scientific Socialism, and distinguished professor at the OUC, donated sixteen books from his personal publications to the university library, which have since been incorporated into their collection. To support the development of grass-roots libraries (reading rooms), the OUC coordinated internal departments to donate books to underprivileged counties and educational sites within the system. A total of 1,454 books were donated by twenty participating departments.

On-Site Thematic Book Exhibition

At the thematic book exhibition, Professor Meng Fanhua, former secretary of the Party Committee and President of Capital Normal University, member of the Standing Committee of the 16th Beijing Municipal People's Congress, director of the Office of Education, Science, Technology, Culture and Health, and Chairman of the Beijing Pedagogical Research Association, visited the display. The exhibited books spanned a diverse range of categories, including literature, history, science and technology, education, and lifestyle, allowing readers to borrow on-site. Simultaneously, the exhibition highlighted quality children's and senior education books published by the OUC Publishing & Media Group, offering readers special discounts for purchases. It was reported that a total of 262 individuals borrowed books during the event.

In order to diversify the selection of books, the OUC Library (OUC History Museum) has opened its book recommendation and purchase channel from 15th April. This initiative aims to fully meet the teaching staff’s needs for teaching, research, and reading through online recommendations and purchases.

Since 2014, the "National Reading Campaign" has been included in the government work report for 11 consecutive years. "Deeply promoting nationwide reading" is now a critical measure for cultural development and educational reform. The OUC will continue to deeply promote nationwide reading activities, guiding the nationwide reading movement to penetrate into grassroots communities through thematic events and reading campaigns. This will create a reading culture within the open universities, consolidating spiritual strength to contribute to the high-quality development of the university and the construction of a strong educational system.

By OUC Library (OUC History Museum)