Contributor: Vicky Hui
Themed “Sunny Days, Rainy Days, Reading Days”, the 5th I∙CARE Book Festival was successfully concluded in November 2022. The event covered a wide variety of activities, including a “Book Crossing Pavilion”, seven “Book Talks”, “Film Screening of The Book Thief”, “Exhibition of Recommended Readings”, and “Preferential Offer of New Books”.
The I·CARE Centre for Whole-person Development had invited donation of second-hand books since August 2022 and received tens of thousands of printed works within just a few weeks. During the Book Festival, the Oval Area on 2/F of Yasumoto International Academic Park was turned into a cozy reading space for participants to indulge themselves in the sea of books. The 2-week “Book Crossing Pavilion” attracted participation of more than 3,000 CUHK students and staff, which has successfully fostered a culture of literacy on campus and connected the CUHKer through sharing of books.
Concerning the “Book Talks”, a number of guest speakers were invited to share with the participants on different topics: Mr. Ho Fuk-yan, Prof. Mary Wong and Prof. Fan Sin-piu talked about the renowned writers Xi Xi, Yesi and Liu Yi-chang respectively via the screening of documentaries; Prof. Roger Chung, Dr. Fan Ning and Prof. Carmen Tsui shed light on the concepts of social inequity and urban governance based on their authored books; Prof. Francis Lee, Micah and Prof. Enoch Tam analysed various cultural phenomena through Japanese detective fictions and local emerging media. Videos of five of the “Book Talks” have now been uploaded to the website of the I·CARE Centre for Whole-person Development for your enjoyment.
To support the “Book Talks”, the University Library arranged an exhibition showcasing the books as recommended by the speakers; The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press and the University Bookstore also offered exclusive discounts to CUHK students, staff and alumni when they purchased selected books during the Book Festival.