Cultivate the self through reading

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.

These remarks by former Harvard University president Charles Williams Eliot may not strike a chord with many Chinese, who prefer to read micro messages on their smartphones. A national survey revealed that Chinese readers, on average, read less than five print books and less than three digital books last year. Given the fact that some particular groups of people such as teachers and researchers may read more than a dozen books a year, it is clear some Chinese seldom read a book, no matter whether it is printed on paper or a digital version. So they never have the chance to savor the company of these quiet friends, wise counselors and patient teachers.

There is a Chinese motto about books, which goes like this: A golden house is hidden in a book and so is a pretty wife. This adage is by an emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-1127), and means one will earn a lot of money and marry a pretty wife if he paves his way within officialdom by reading the classics and passing the imperial exams.