The fragrance of books sends dreams to distant places, and the national road journey runs from snowy mountains to the sea | halfway by the Nu River | Bookstore | Dreams
On July 6th, Gan Wenyong was at the entrance of the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore.
The Nujiang River, rushing down from the Tanggula Mountains on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, collides with a steep canyon in the steep mountains of northwest Yunnan - the Nujiang Grand Canyon. The simple and hardworking people on both sides of the Nu River thrive in the difficult environment of high mountains and deep valleys, inheriting their love for life from generation to generation.
Qiunatong Village, Bingzhongluo Town, Gongshan Dulong and Nu Autonomous County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan is located at the northernmost point of the Nujiang Grand Canyon. Here, the reporting team of "National Highway Journey from Snowy Mountains to the Sea" visited a bookstore called "Half Mountain Flower Language". "The name of this bookstore is Banshan Huayu, partly because I enjoy growing flowers, and also because the fragrance of books is as refreshing as the fragrance of flowers." The owner of the bookstore, Gan Wenyong, said, "I have changed my destiny through reading and learning. I want to convey to my hometown people through this bookstore that reading can really change destiny."
Qiunatong Village is the hometown of Gan Wenyong, which was once a deeply impoverished area in the country's "three districts and three prefectures". Due to poverty, the family could only afford to have one child attend school. Gan Wenyong gave the opportunity to study to his brother, and herding cows, sheep, medicinal herbs, and pigs became his main childhood memories.
On September 1, 2006, the revised Compulsory Education Law was promulgated, which clearly stipulated that "no tuition or miscellaneous fees shall be charged for the implementation of compulsory education.". This gave Gan Wenyong the opportunity to go to school. Recalling the day he walked into school, Gan Wenyong still felt a surge of emotion: "I was very impressed. That day, I asked the teacher if he could go to school at the age of 14. He said that as long as you wanted to go, you could." So, at the age of 14, Gan Wenyong started studying in fourth grade and with the help of a kind-hearted person, became the first college student in Qiunatong Village.
After the college entrance examination, Gan Wenyong, who enjoyed reading, brought the books he had accumulated and collected back to Qiunatong Village. The children in the village came to borrow from him, and then he began to have the idea of building a library. "I had never been exposed to books before the age of 14, and I hope to make a difference in the childhood of the children in the village through my own efforts, making up for the regrets of my childhood."
In 2016, Gan Wenyong, who had already gone to college, returned to his hometown with the books he had raised. He used the two houses vacated by his parents to build the first library in the village, the "Half Mountain Flower Language" Bookstore. He also sold his two cows to decorate and purchase books. This bookstore has deepened Gan Wenyong's concern for his hometown: "Since I started this bookstore, I have always wanted to return to my hometown, develop here, and develop this bookstore well." After graduating from university, Gan Wenyong returned to Gongshan County, where Qiunatong Village is located, and became a legal aid worker.
At the end of 2019, Gongshan County lifted itself out of poverty, and one year later, Gan Wenyong borrowed tens of thousands of yuan to expand the bookstore. Now, with the support and assistance of the local government and people from all walks of life, this free and open bookstore has a collection of over 40000 books. The bookstore is like a treasure trove of wisdom, attracting villagers, especially teenagers, to search for the treasure of their dreams.
Gan Wenyong has a new dream. There are 10 groups in Qiunatong Village, and he wants to build such a book house in other groups as well. "With my current abilities, this is the greatest contribution I can make to my hometown," Gan Wenyong told reporters.
When the reporter arrived at Qiunatong Village, the summer was about to begin, and the third phase of the "Time Reading" project in collaboration between "Half Mountain Flower Language" Bookstore and Shenzhen University was about to start. Several volunteers from Shenzhen University will bring two to three weeks of courses to primary and secondary school students in Qiunatong Village.
After lunch, the children gradually came to the bookstore, searching for their favorite books and began reading. 13-year-old Huang Xiaojun said that he has read more than 200 books in the library since the third grade of elementary school, and his writing skills have also improved a lot. He said, "I want to become an astronaut, and to achieve this dream, I need to study hard."
12-year-old Yin Xue brought her younger brother, who was less than 3 years old, to the library and found a book for him that could instinctively make animal calls. Yin Xue said she really likes this bookstore and the courses held every summer vacation.
Li Delan, who has just graduated from junior high school, said, "Here we can see books that we cannot see in school, broaden our horizons, and enrich our knowledge." She believes that reading can change destiny. "I want to be a teacher, and I also hope to take my parents out of the mountains."
After dinner, more children came to the library and talked freely about their favorite books and dreams. In the night, Qiunatong Village is peaceful and serene, with warm and bright lights in the library. Laughter constantly flies out of the small window of the library, merging with the rushing Nujiang River at the foot of the mountain and flowing into the distance. What kind of future will these children who talk about their dreams in the bookstore have? No one can provide an accurate answer. But they will never forget the fragrant fragrance of books in their hometown's bookshelf when they were children.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
On July 5th, Gan Wenyong organized books in the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 6th, Gan Wenyong was repairing the wooden sign in the bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 5th, Gan Wenyong was reading at the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
On July 5th, Jialu, a child from Qiunatong Village, picked out the books he wanted to read at the "Mid Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 5th, Jialu, a child from Qiunatong Village, was reading in the courtyard of the "Mid Mountain Flower Language" study house. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 5th, children were reading at the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
On July 5th, volunteer Li Miaoen accompanied children from Qiunatong Village to play in the courtyard of the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Jiayi
On July 5th, children were reading at the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
On July 5th, children from Qiunatong Village were reading at the "Mid Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 5th, people walked into the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore to participate in an evening reading activity. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 5th, children from Qiunatong Village participated in an evening reading activity at the "Mid Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On the evening of July 5th, Gan Wenyong organized a reading activity at the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
On the evening of July 5th, Gan Wenyong organized a reading activity at the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
On July 5th, Gan Wenyong participated in a reading activity with the children at the "Mid Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 5th, in the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore, a child from Qiunatong Village was reading a book. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Jiayi
On July 5th, children from Qiunatong Village were selecting and reading books at the "Mid Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 5th, a child selected the book they wanted to read at the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
On July 5th, children were reading at the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
On July 5th, children from Qiunatong Village played table tennis in the courtyard of the "Mid Mountain Flower Language" study. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
On July 5th, Gan Wenyong organized books in the "Half Mountain Flower Language" bookstore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
Autumn Datong Village, filmed on July 5th. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fei Maohua
Overlooking Autumn's barrel village from the sky. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
