Peking University, May 1, 2014: An exhibition of selected books and photographs with the theme of "The Reading Girl" was launched in the Sunshine Hall of PKU Library on April 22 in celebration of the World Book and Copyright Day 2014. The exhibition was co-organized by the library and the Youth Amateur Society of Photography (YASP) of PKU.

The PKU library carefully chose 30 books from the List of Recommended Books of 2013 made by the Reading Promotion Committee of the Library Society of China. In order to present the books in a way which could better kindle the students' interest, the library decided to reform the traditional method of book exhibition and invited the members of YASP to cooperate with them in the preparation of this event.

The exhibition organizers first picked 30 pieces of classic oil paintings depicting reading young girls. Then, the student photographers from YASP invited several girl students to act as models and imitate the figures in the paintings. The models were asked to imitate the dresses, postures and facial expressions of the archetypal figures and replace the books in the pictures with the recommended books. On each exhibition board, the viewers can find the image of the original painting, the photograph and a concise introduction to the book.

exhibition board

The ingenious and inventive idea of the organizers grabbed the attention of numerous students and faculty members as soon as the exhibition was put on and received considerable compliments.

"It is so beautiful! Beida girls imitate figures in famous paintings." Viewers cannot help to show their interest in the exhibition. "The combination of these beautiful photographs and the recommended books not only inspires people to read, but also shows the inner beauty of reading and knowledge."

The library also presented mini versions of this exhibition through various popular social network systems, such as weibo, renren.com and the public platform of wechat. This is the first innovative attempt of the library to develop and enrich the reading culture on campus by combining on-site exhibition and the functions of the social media platforms.

Written by: Chen Jiayu
Edited by: Zhu Wenjia
Source: PKU Library