Tsinghua's 'real-person' library redefines reading

A library should not only be a quiet place for reading, but also a place for the exchange of ideas and the sharing of knowledge and spirit.

These sentiments expressed by Zhang Qiu, deputy director of Tsinghua University Library, embody the mission of the real-person library program.

The real-person library, launched by Tsinghua University Library in 2013, enables students to sit face-to-face with professors and scholars and "read" the people behind the research.

Zhang said the idea is captured by the saying, "Listening to a wise person for one session is better than reading for 10 years."

Since its launch, the real-person library has held 76 events, reaching 5.7 million participants online and offline, according to Zhang. The program is aimed at developing the library into a spiritual home for members of the Tsinghua University community while extending high-quality public cultural resources to society as a whole.

Reading is not limited to acquiring textual knowledge. Face-to-face communication through the real-person library allows students to learn about the life stories and academic spirit behind scholars, integrating the reading of books, people and the world, Zhang said.

Zhang Guogang, a professor at Tsinghua's School of Humanities, described the real-person library as a form of "embodied communication".

"You are not reading my book; you are reading me as a person, and I talk about my book and my research," he said.

He stressed the irreplaceable value of libraries in the artificial intelligence era, highlighting how people still need to read and that leaving everything to AI could weaken their ability to independently judge, think and question.

Zhang cited prominent scientists, including Chen-Ning Yang, Shiing-Shen Chern and Shing-Tung Yau, as examples of people who benefited profoundly from humanistic reading in their youth.

He said their reading of Chinese classics and other works was important to their choices later in life. Yang's father, for example, asked him to read the works of Mencius before he entered college, and Yang's sense of patriotism was related to his reading before adulthood, Zhang said.

Zhang distinguished between instrumental learning and humanistic cultivation. Skill-oriented books, such as computer maintenance manuals and investment guides, primarily serve as tools for vocational training, while humanistic reading in literature, history and philosophy helps people cultivate moral character, develop sound judgment and avoid mistakes in life.

For Xu Yitian, a freshman majoring in theoretical and applied mechanics from Zhejiang province, the old library building made the strongest impression on him.

Walking up its spiral staircase, Xu saw marble walls, ceiling chandeliers and old green-shaded desk lamps, giving him a strong sense of history.

He also found elements of "old with new" in the library, including a music classroom with a cinema-like atmosphere and a huge electronic borrowing screen. The library, he said, is like a bridge between ancient and modern times that leads him to grow and explore.

As a science and engineering student, Xu firmly believes that humanistic reading is indispensable for technical students. Ancient classics and works on revolutionary history, he said, carry precious spiritual heritage and reflect a rigorous pursuit of knowledge.

Reading in the library is different from reading online because the atmosphere and the sound of turning pages cannot be experienced on an electronic screen, Xu said.

Xu recommended The Long March, a book given to all freshmen. He reread it during military theory classes and military training and said he was moved by the Red Army's brave struggle and its close bond with the people.