Childhood Reading for Pleasure Promoted in China

Promoting reading for fun—not just academics—is a relatively new philosophy in Chinese schools. This semester, staff of RCEF spin-off Starfish Rural Youth Cultural Research Center attended conferences and visited schools that are developing various kinds of curriculum for reading classes. The annual conference hosted by the Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation brought together most of the NGOs and schools piloting reading and library programs in China. It was a great chance to share experiences and learn more about opportunities for collaboration. Starfish staff and curriculum teachers also visited rural school partners of the New Education Foundation, a NGO that promotes reading and writing in schools across China. The networking helped them to assess their work in light of other innovations going on in this field. Starfish’s model of combining reading with service learning is still unique amongst organizations in China and will be a valuable contribution to the overall promotion of childhood reading curriculum in this country.