A resilient Chinese librarian from a relatively rural area has overcome personal setbacks and is seeking to nurture young minds with her vast collection of picture books, hoping more students can embrace the power of literature and seize new opportunities as they grow up.
Jiao Meining, 47, was born in a rural district of Xi'an, the provincial capital of north China's Shaanxi Province. From a young age, she developed a deep passion for reading and soon realized that children in rural areas had limited access quality reading resources compared to their peers in larger cities.
Ten years ago, Jiao opened a library which has collected some 14,000 picture books, and began thinking of ways to help the local community.
She started reading books to students that same year, and since then, her voluntary storytelling sessions have been welcomed with great enthusiasm by local students.
Now, her unique library has become a beacon of hope, not only for children but also a wider group of individuals.
Jiao stated that the joy and insights gained from years of reading played a significant role in helping her overcome the emotional darkness during tough times, including through her a major health challenge.
Amid her hectic lifestyle, Jiao was last year diagnosed with breast cancer. However, during her chemotherapy, she continued to bring picture books with her and share them with other patients, jointly finding solace and strength in their stories.
"I recall that during my hospital stay, we read a book called 'Nora's Roses'. That book left a deep impression on me. It told the story of a young boy who fell ill with a cold and fever, leaving him unable to venture outside. He could only lie on the windowsill, gazing out at the world beyond. Just outside his window stood a rosebush. At the time, I felt that his circumstances mirrored my own. However, the line 'Roses bloom everywhere' offered me the strength to transcend my challenges," she said.
Following her recovery, Jiao found it difficult to not have the positive influence of the children around her each week, and after a brief rest of only a few months, she resumed her storytelling sessions in classrooms across numerous schools.
"Each time I narrate a story, I observe a gleam of reflection in children's eyes. They show an intense longing for stories and seek to harness them as a means to unlock their imaginative perception of the world. As the saying goes, words can reach places that footsteps cannot reach," said Jiao.
Nowadays, in addition to delivering free lectures at schools and facilitating storytelling sessions for children at her library, Jiao also periodically organizes picture book-based family activities within the library, aiming to enhance communication between parents and their children.
"Each time I share picture books during parent-child activities, I also offer guidance on how parents can read the book to their children after they return home. We refer to this not as the power of education, but rather as the influence of guidance. After parents hear these stories, their hearts become more tender. Consequently, when interacting with their children, they may adopt a less authoritative approach," she stated.
Jiao hopes that the library can continue to be well-managed and that more people can fall in love with reading as she has.
"Every time I stand on the podium, I feel a sense of pride and responsibility. If the kid has developed a reading habit, I think my visit at that day was not in vain. After all, this reading habit will stay with the child for a lifetime," she said.
Over the past decade, Jiao has visited over 500 schools and delivered more than 900 free lectures. Now, in addition to her talks for children, she has new gained audiences, as more members of the community get to enjoy her passion.
"Now, we start to visit communities and tell stories to the elderly. Many of them are very lonely and need companionship. So, we go into the community. The elderly can listen to stories, do handicrafts and recall their happy childhood. These are also happy things for them," she said.
Library owner seeks to inspire young people through power of picture books
