On April 23, on world reading day, Tianjin University sent a heartfelt sentiment from an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Prof. Zhou Heng from Chinese Academy of Sciences and School of Mechanical Engineering Tianjin University, has read many books in his life and began reading from a young age. He talked about his reading comprehension with young teachers, "I wanted to read different books at different stages in my life."

Mr. Zhou Heng said that the books he read when he was young were very eclectic and he was an avid martial arts fan, "When I was young, my family had a friend who ran a bookstore, so I could often borrow books. Every time I borrowed a book, I wrapped the cover of the book carefully. After reading it, I would return it, which was the same as the new one. At that time, I read a lot of novels, especially martial arts novels."

On April 7, the sounds of reading aloud came out of the classrooms of Beicheng Primary School in Nantong, Jiangsu Province(photo by Wang Junrong from Guangming Daily)

"College students are still at the exploratory stage of reading." Zhou Heng said, "When I was in college, I didn't know what to read. I read all kinds of books, mainly novels, such as Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, Gone with the Wind, the Swordsman of Shushan, to mention a few. It's normal to read novels, but don't become obsessed."

With life experience increasing and general environment changing, Zhou Heng read and thought in the vast sea of books, keeping pace with the times. He has read an assortment of books in different dialectics from the 1950s, novels in the 1960s, and classical Marxism-Leninism works. In the 21st century, Zhou Heng focused on books related to education and scientific development. He has read biographies and stories of Qian Xuesen, Qian Sanqiang, Ye Qisun, Mei Yiqi, Zhang Boling and many other educators.

In the face of some classic tomes, there were times when Zhou Heng couldn’t bring himself to finish reading the whole book after turning over dozens of pages. He concludes that the main reason may be that the problems involved in the classics have little to do with reality.

On March 24, citizens read books in Renhuai library, Guizhou Province. (photo by Chen Yong from Guangming Daily)

Zhou Heng shared his suggestions on reading with teachers and students. "It's good to read, but it's not a cause and effect relationship. One becomes more open-minded after reading. Reading is indeed an important thing." Zhou Heng told the student youth, "To read classics, we should select the right books. I suggest reading some classics that have been tested by practice, are reliable and up-to-date.".

"It's hard to be all-round, so don't ask all people to read the same books." Zhou Heng said, Reading should be combined with personal interests, "For example, if one is interested in music, he should read more music books, including biographies of musicians and books about music genres so as to improve music appreciation to rational knowledge."

By: Li Jinhua

Editors: Gabriela Venegas, Sun Xiaofang