New Wuhu City Library opens for trial run

By Cheng Qian | wuhunews.cn

On the morning of September 28, the new premises of Wuhu Library and Wuhu Cultural Center, both located in Luolan Town in the east of the city, opened to the public on a trial basis. Many local residents came to explore the new facilities, with some schools also organizing student visits.

A series of cultural events have been arranged at the new venues for the upcoming National Day holiday, including lectures by renowned experts, poetry competitions, study sessions on ancient texts, children's science activities, free classes, film screenings and exchange performances.

At 3 p.m. that day, a reporter observed at Buildings B1 and B2 in Luolan Town that the first floor of the new library houses a reading area for people with special needs, a youth lending section, a 24-hour lending zone, an ancient-book restoration room, an ancient books repository and compact shelving. The second floor features parent-child and children's lending areas, a natural sciences lending section, a newspaper and periodical reading area, along with a newspaper and periodical processing room and a periodicals archive. The third floor is home to a digital experience zone and lending areas for local literature and social sciences. Meanwhile, the auditorium on the fourth floor was hosting the Reading Wuhu Master Lecture — "The Magic of Stories: From Reading to Writing," featuring famous children's writer Wu Meizhen.

The digital experience zone proved a particular draw for children, who took part in VR-based history education activities including "Retracing the Long March." Donning headsets, they journeyed through mountains and rivers in a virtual world, witnessing key moments from the historic Long March and gaining a deeper appreciation of its enduring spirit.

Although some books in the new library had not yet been shelved and some equipment was still being installed, tested and fine-tuned, visitors spoke highly of the new premises.

"I've long heard that the new city library was opening today. I came here specially to have a look. Not only is the exterior magnificent, but the interior is also excellent. With complete facilities, high-tech features and abundant books, the new library lives up to our expectations as book lovers!" said Sun, a local resident.

In addition, the new Wuhu Cultural Center also opened for trial operation the same morning and hosted the Jiuzi Legacy: Wuhu Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition in its first-floor lobby.