Turning a new page for village readers

Library shows how a dream can transform a community, Wang Ru and Shi Baoyin report.

Li Cuili was regarded as kind of a "weirdo" when she decided to open a library at her convenience store providing books for villagers to read for free in 2008.

While others were busy making a living, Li, a farmer who later opened a store in Lishi village, Neihuang county, Anyang, Henan province, thought bigger and wanted to improve the cultural atmosphere in the village through the power of books.

That wish initially came from a mother's love for her child. That year, she watched a performance at her village with her son. To her surprise, the show was vulgar and unsuitable for children.

Feeling anxious that children would grow up and be exposed to such an environment, she wanted to change the situation and began to offer books for villagers, because, she believes, "books are mostly beneficial".

From feeling doubtful to offering support, villagers have seen Li's Weiguang Library grow from a small space that managed to survive with only 200 books to a village cultural activity center, with a collection of 5,000-6,000 books. Through her efforts, she saw reading gradually taking shape at her hometown. Now 45 years old, she has also been elected as a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and president of Lishi village's women's federation.

The library's name Weiguang means "dim light".

"I named it Weiguang because it is only about putting several books on the shelves of a village store. It was initially a modest endeavor. Yet, no matter how faint the light, it has the power to keep the fire burning," says Li.

At the very beginning, due to the lack of a reading or literary culture, no villager came forward to borrow her books, although she offered them for free. Li decided to attract children first. She offered sugar to children who came to read, borrow books and write book reviews. In this way, more and more children were attracted to the library.

Their parents were surprised to discover children behaved much better than before, as they stopped rushing to play on the streets after school but went to Li's library to read. Then villagers began to speak highly of Li's efforts and offer support, and many of them began to borrow books as well and worked as volunteers at the library in their free time.