The first Reading Recommendation Officer Competition was held at the Macau Science Centre (MSC) yesterday, aimed at promoting a reading culture among the younger generations, with over 70 local competitors aged from 7 to 25 participating.
Organised by the Macao Federation of Youth Culture (FYC), FYC President Tang Chon In pointed out that the competition was divided into a children’s group and a youth group, where participants were rated on stage performance, attractiveness of storytelling, and cognition after reading.
Tang said that there is a strong cultural atmosphere in Macau, adding that in the future, the FYC will help young people to promote the local culture outside Macau. He also said that the federation will organise a cultural exchange camp to Jingzhou in October.
Some competitors wore costumes related to the content of the recommended books. A senior high school student who participated in the competition in a traditional Cantonese opera costume said that she had been exposed to Cantonese opera in her extracurricular activities and hoped to learn more about Chinese opera and show the skills she had learnt in combination with the content of the book recommended by her, adding that she developed the habit of reading about five or six years ago and often goes to the library to borrow books.
Another high school student said she believed that the competition can promote the importance of reading, adding that she likes inspirational stories. “In the process of reading, I can learn about different life experiences, and I usually read about half an hour before going to sleep.”
A young student (left) takes part in the 1st Reading Recommendation Officer Competition at the Macau Science Centre (MSC) in front of judges and audience members yesterday. – Photo by Ginnie Liang
