Turning leaf on life of famous Chinese writer
Children learn about the life of Shi Zhecun.
A reading event featuring a walking tour to the former residence of writer, translator and scholar Shi Zhecun (1905-2003) who lived on the century-old Yuyuan Road in Changning District was held on Saturday.
Shi lived in a three-story brick-and-wood garden villa at 1018 Yuyuan Road for 65 years till his death.
Yuyuan Road, which runs through Shanghai's Changning and Jing'an districts, dates back to 1911. It features well-preserved historical villas once home to heavyweights such as Shi, scientist Qian Xuesen (1911-2009), and New Zealand-born educator Rewi Alley (1897-1987).
People recall the life of Shi Zhecun.
Huo Bai, a former neighbor of Shi and a volunteer guide sharing the history and stories of prominent people on the road, led the tour.
"Shi had a rich collection of books, and even the stairs were used to store his books," Huo recalled. "I borrowed books from him and he sometimes tested me on whether I remembered the content when I returned them."
A script by Shi Zhecun.
The reading event was held in a tranquil building in Jiangsu Road Subdistrict, just opposite to the fishbone-shaped, lane-style Qishan Village community housing the villa.
The community was listed as a protected block in 2005.
Dozens attended the event, including some children. They learnt about translation concepts of Shi in a class as part of the activities.
A pop-up bookstore was set up at the same time, featuring a number of works of Shi and works themed on "life education."
These works have been left at the venue for residents to commemorate Shi and promote his literature and spiritual legacy.
The venue of the reading event
In total, nine such activities will be held this year to honor renowned literati and masters in other fields.
It is part of the pop-up bookstore serial activities with the theme of "life education" across the city.
Books on display.
