Reading activity takes place on “slow train” in SW China's Sichuan

A train staff member shares books with students during a reading activity on train 5634, which travels from Xichang city to Mianning county in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zhou Zeping)

A reading activity recently took place on train 5634, which was traveling from Xichang city to Mianning county in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, to commemorate the 29th World Book and Copyright Day. Train staff members shared books with students from a local school in Xichang, and created an atmosphere filled with the delightful aroma of books.

The “slow train” on the old Chengdu-Kunming Railway is the preferred mode of transport for most of the Yi ethnic people in Liangshan.

In July 2023, the Chengdu section of the China Railway Chengdu Bureau Group Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Sichuan Provincial Library and Sichuan Provincial Cultural Center, launched a public welfare initiative.

Recognizing the reliance of many students on the “slow train” for their daily school commute, they transformed the train into a reading space. The train now serves as a mobile library, and provides over 1,000 books on various subjects such as literature, history, tourism, and science, as well as educational materials suitable for primary and secondary school students.

Students engage in a reading activity on train 5634, which travels from Xichang city to Mianning county in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zhou Zeping)

Students engage in a reading activity on train 5634, which travels from Xichang city to Mianning county in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zhou Zeping)

Photo shows a reading space on train 5634, which travels from Xichang city to Mianning county in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zhou Zeping)

Students engage in a reading activity on train 5634, which travels from Xichang city to Mianning county in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zhou Zeping)