On April 23, 2023, the 28th World Book Day, a unique parent-child reading salon event was held at the Burnside Library in South Australia.
The event was organized by the Soong Ching Ling Children’s Reading Room in South Australia, the South Australia Chinese Association, the Soong Ching Ling School of Australia, the Soong Ching Ling Education Foundation of Australia, and Joye’s Art Home. Mr. Jing Li, a councilor of Adelaide City, and Mr. Andy, a councilor of Burnside City, graced the occasion and participated in this charity event along with nearly 50 children and their parents from the Adelaide Chinese community. They all gathered to read and share the childhood stories of the peace ambassador Soong Ching Ling from the book “Soong Ching Ling’s Childhood Stories.”
The event was planned and hosted by Ms. Joye Ye, an instructor at Joye’s Art Home, and the welcome speech was delivered by Mr. Wang Hengda, the principal of the Soong Ching Ling Children’s Reading Room. Well-known local host Mr. Mingwei Tong and the leader of the Soong Ching Ling Children’s Reading Room volunteers, Teresa, took turns reading excerpts from the book “Soong Ching Ling’s Childhood Stories” in both Chinese and English. They shared interesting anecdotes from Soong Ching Ling’s childhood and her aspirations, leaving a deep impression on the parents and children present.
The second part of the event was an interactive session. Teresa posed three questions to the children, with the answers hidden within the story. The children enthusiastically competed to answer, alternating between English and Chinese, creating a lively atmosphere. The children who answered correctly received prizes, which were awarded by Mr. Jing Li, Councilor of Adelaide City, Mr. Andy, Councilor of Burnside City, and Mr. Wang Hengda, the principal of the Soong Ching Ling Children’s Reading Room, adding excitement to the event.
