On the afternoon of November 3, HZAU held an exchange meeting of “Reviewing Good Books Together” at the Digital Reading Space on the third floor of the University Library. Gan Lin, Secretary of the Party Branch of the library, and Zhou Di, library director, were among the attendees at the event. During the meeting, Gan announced the winners of 2023 HZAU Reading Month.
Under the themes of “Beautiful Homeland” and “Heritage & Classics”, book and film reviews are both available for the event, and a total of 116 long reviews and 48 short reviews were submitted. Students and faculties extensively explored the historical and cultural significance, reflecting on the values of respecting, adapting to, and protecting nature. Discussions also delved into advancing creative transformations and development of excellent traditional culture within the process of modernization. After the assessment of these reviews, 6 students and faculties from College of Humanities & Social Sciences, including Si Peiyue, received first prizes for their outstanding long reviews. 9 students from the College of Public Administration, including Chen Yifan, secured second prizes, and 16 students and faculties from the College of Fisheries, such as Ding Yang, earned third prizes. Additionally, 9 students, including Ye Haoyang, from the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, were commended for their excellent short reviews.
At the event, student representative Zou Qi from the College of Humanities & Social Sciences delivered a speech. She highlighted how the review competition provided readers with an opportunity to explore the intrinsic ideas, knowledge, and artistic values within the works, allowing their thoughts and feelings from reading and watching to coalesce within their writing. Zou further expressed how the works developed her deep awareness of humanity's concern for a beautiful homeland, allowed her to appreciate the charm of classics, and prompted her to ponder more profoundly on the relationship between society and environment. Moreover, she said that reading enabled her to comprehend the profound spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation and understand the historical mission and responsibility carried by the youth in this new era.
During the open discussion, Chen Yifan from the College of Public Administration recommended the dance drama Close to Distant Mountains, highlighting the volunteer teaching experiences of educators dedicated to the western regions, including the renowned Xu Benyu, expressing admiration for their commitment to education and poverty alleviation. Zhang Qi from the College of Animal Science & Technology and College of Veterinary Medicine shared her experiences reading The Roots of Wisdom and Dream of the Red Mansions, emphasizing on how traditional Chinese cultural works accompanied her through high school. Guo Yuxuan from the College of Horticulture & Forestry expressed her insights on Red Star Over China through a synopsis, the author, and personal reflections. She shared an inspiring movie quote once motivated her during tough times from Forever Young: “May you remember your preciousness to resist malice during hard time. May you have infinite faith in your preciousness when you lost your way. Love what you love, do what you do and listen to your heart. May you be young forever.’’
At the exchange meeting, Zhang Zhuhong, deputy library director, shared his feelings about reading literature of different genres. He emphasized that excellent literature attracts excellent readers, and encouraged a critical approach to reading, advocating for forming individual ideas and opinions while delving into books. He also advised students to distance themselves from phones, wholeheartedly focus on reading, and resist external temptations. Zhang urged students to engage in extensive and in-depth reading, fostering a love for reading, and persisting in reading. In addition, Zhang emphasized the value of learning to slow down in the fast pace of life, encouraging students to embrace the opportunity for self-cultivation and experience the richness and diversity of life through reading.
In her concluding speech, Zhou Di denoted the diverse themes encompassed in the award-winning books and audiovisual works, ranging from Earth-centric pieces like Walden, Silent Spring, and Planet Earth to works of contemplation on life such as A Lifelong Journey and Life is Beautiful. She also mentioned works honoring heroes like Red Crag, Red Star Over China, The Sacrifice, and Close to Distant Mountains, along with those reflecting on history like 1587, A Year of Significant and Remembering 1950. The focus on creating a harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature in both book and movie reviews, while extracting the epochal values of historical culture, underscores the significance of “Reviewing Good Books Together”. Zhou noted that, as the youth of the new era, it is the duty of university students and faculties to be familiar with classics, inherit exceptional history and culture, open to the world, and maintain a global vision. She encouraged everyone to relish the joy of reading every day, making reading an integral part of our life.
Source: http://news.hzau.edu.cn/2023/1106/68284.shtml
Translated by Zhang Yu
Proofread by Zuo Yuexiang
Supervised by Pan Buhan
