In celebration of the 29th World Book Day on April 23, libraries in Jiangsu hosted a series of activities, including interviews with scholars, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and educational tours.

At Nanjing Jiangbei Library, CCTV presenter Kang Hui guided readers through the origins and evolution of Chinese characters. He also listed words related to Nanjing and highlighted dialects, place names and cuisine.

Suzhou Library set up over 60 stalls dedicated to folk customs, cultural and creative products, food and beverages, Suzhou-style snacks and handicraft workshops.

Educational tours were also organized by libraries to explore the local culture and history. Jinling Library invited residents and tourists to visit Nanjing's alleys and lanes, including renowned Wuyi Alley on the south bank of the Qinhuai River.

Furthermore, Nanjing Library collaborated with libraries from eight regions along the Grand Canal to launch a reading program that explored the heritage of this ancient waterway system with expert guidance.

Lianyungang Library presented a program on "Journey to the West,” exploring the city’s connection to the classical Chinese novel and culture preservation. In this program, experts led tours of Huaguo Mountain, a major area featured in the novel, and highlighted the landscape, ancient buildings and stone carvings associated with the mythology.

Yancheng Library organized trips for children to the Yellow Sea Wetland Museum, providing an immersive experience of the sea, reeds and birds while learning about the wetland’s status as a World Natural Heritage site.

Furthermore, some libraries held reading activities for the visually impaired. For example, Jinling Library in Nanjing and Shaanxi Library in Xi’an jointly hosted a reading program that encouraged the visually impaired to share stories of their cities using audio or video.

On April 20, a special reading activity for the visually impaired began at Nanjing Library. It included listening to narratives about the Qinhuai River and the Grand Canal, watching an animated film about the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, and tasting local delicacies while celebrating the joy of reading.