"It surprised us at first, but it was real fun," the couple say in recalling the morning of April 28 when they were returning some books to the Jilin provincial library, in the city of Changchun, and chanced to hear someone reading a familiar poem.

"The verses thrilled me and I really wanted to join them," Mrs. Wu says, then continues to explain that, the next thing they knew, there were paper airplanes floating down from up above. So they bent over to pick one up and when they opened it, and were surprised to learn that, "it was exactly the same poem".

Next, Mr. and Mrs. Wu were invited to join in a poetry-reading flash mob, along with other library patrons, a spontaneous activity designed to get a loose bunch of people together to do something, anything, at a given time.

People taking part in poetry-reading activity at Jilin provincial library, on April 28. [Photo by Jiang Shengsong/xwh.cn]

Just as suddenly, the recitation spread across the library with more than 200 people, possible college students, or maybe just library staff, or housewives, coming together on the first floor.

And the participants got deeply involved in the reading, and felt their sensations drifting away from the triviality of daily life.

Changchun University student reading poems printed on the paper airplanes. [Photo by Baishi/xwh.cn]

The mob, the paper airplane readers, were giving their attention to some verse by the Chinese poet Hai Zi (1964-1989), with the title, "Facing the sea with spring blossoms" as follows:

"From tomorrow on, I'll be a happy man;

Grooming, chopping, and traveling all over the world."

"May you have happiness in this earthly world!

I only wish to face the sea, with spring flowers blossoming."

No more than 10 minutes later, the library was back to normal, with readers reading, researchers doing their research, and cleaners going about their cleaning business. But, no doubt about it, the reading experience stuck in everyone's mind.

As for Mrs. Wu, well, "We really love the poem we just read, it's beautiful. In fact my husband and I bought a house on the beach so that we could enjoy the moment and to 'face the sea, with spring flowers blossoming' on our holidays."

Then she coyly adds, "That flash mob was real fun, but really unexpected."

Mr. and Mrs. Wu reading the poem "Facing the sea with spring blossoms". [Photo by Jiang Shengsong/xwh.cn]