Five flavors of China's village development (3)

Wisdom: Village library

Location: Lishi village, Neihuang county, central China's Henan province 

Li Cuili was regarded as something of an "oddball" when she opened a library at her convenience store in 2008, providing books for fellow villagers to read for free.

While others focused on making a living, Li, a farmer from Lishi village, Neihuang county, Anyang, Henan province, thought bigger and sought to improve the village's cultural atmosphere through the power of books.

That wish initially came from a mother's love for her child. That year, she watched a performance at her village with her son. To her surprise, the show was vulgar and unsuitable for children.

Feeling anxious that local children would grow up in a negative cultural environment, she began offering books to her fellow villagers, driven by her belief that "books are mostly beneficial".

From feeling doubtful to offering support, locals have seen Li's Weiguang Library grow from a small space that managed to survive with only 200 books to a village cultural activity center, with a collection of 5,000-6,000 books. Through her efforts, she saw reading gradually taking shape in her hometown.

The library's name, Weiguang, means “dim light.”

"I named it Weiguang because it is only about putting several books on the shelves of a village store. It was initially a modest endeavor. Yet, no matter how faint the light, it has the power to keep the fire burning," says Li.