Yuan Ze University Participated in the “Book in Taoyuan” Innovative Book Fair, Launching Parent-Child Picture Book Reading Popularly

The Ministry of Culture’s innovative book fair project, “Book in Taoyuan: Reading Landscape and Book Market,” was held on October 18–19 at Bade 77 Chocolate Republic. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Culture, organized by Si-Fei Bookroom, and co-organized by the Taoyuan Public Library, Taoyuan Independent Bookstore Group, and Taoyuan Niujiao Arts Association.

By integrating reading, book exhibitions, and walking tours, it created a reading festival unique to Taoyuan. Yuan Ze University’s team was invited to participate in planning and execution, and for the first time, launched a “Parent-Child Picture Book Reading” program, which was well-received by families.

The opening ceremony was jointly presided over by Taoyuan Deputy Mayor Su Jun-bin, Deputy Director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Tang Lian-cheng, and Niujiao Arts Association Chairman Chen Wei-ren. Deputy Mayor Su noted that the presence of physical bookstores symbolizes cultural diversity and freedom, and that a book discovered by chance can often spark new interests and perspectives—an appeal of reading that artificial intelligence and algorithms cannot replace. Chen Wei-ren highlighted that Taoyuan is one of the densest cities in Taiwan for both tourist factories and independent bookstores, and that collaboration between the city government and cultural organizations could generate stronger cultural clustering effects, injecting more creative energy into the city.

Notably, Yuan Ze University has long been committed to reading education and cultural promotion, which was demonstrated through this event. Professor Chen Wei-ren from Yuan Ze University had long taught a “Reading Industry” course and led the “Higher Education Deepening Language Narrative Project.” For this event, he guided five members of the “Tianhe Reading and Publishing Base” in participation, drawing on experience from this year’s intergenerational learning program “Yuan Yuan Kamishibai: Yuan Ze Students Co-Perform the Three Kingdoms,” training professional picture book narrators with strong oral expression and storytelling skills.

During the two-day event, Liu Ze-fei from the Department of Chinese Linguistics and Literature and Qiu Zi-rou from the Department of Nursing served as narrators, presenting local heartwarming stories to parents and children. They read picture books by Taoyuan authors Huang Shu-zhen and Liu Jing-hua, titled Butterfly Knot and Grandma by the Pond Says Goodbye, respectively. Qiu Zi-rou shared that seeing children’s eyes widen and their full attention as they imagined the story scenes gave her a great sense of accomplishment. She said the experience taught her how to interact with children and make stories more lively and engaging.

“Book in Taoyuan” was more than a book fair; it served as an important platform connecting reading, local culture, and educational energy. Through Yuan Ze University’s involvement and innovative efforts, reading became not just a static text experience but a cultural activity fostering intergenerational exchange and creative inspiration.