As another 50 new libraries open to the students in September 2021,the"100 Ankang Libraries"public welfare project initiated by the China Children and Teenagers'Fund(CCTF)and Xinhu Wealth Management&Investment Co.,Ltd.(Xinhu Wealth)will come to a successful end.

An interior picture of an"Ankang library"[CCTF]

The project was launched in 2016,aiming at creating a better reading environment for rural children and helping them have wider access to knowledge.

"Children are the future of a country.It is of great significance to support the education of rural children,"said Qu Guang,President of Xinhu Wealth,in an interview.

The first library donated by Xinhu Wealth was put into use in Pailou Primary School in Lezhi,a county in Southwest China's Sichuan Province,in May 2016.Then from 2017 to 2018,another seven libraries were built in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,Yunnan and Shaanxi provinces.

A group of primary school students express their thanks to Xinhu Wealth for its sponsorship of the"100 Ankang Libraries"project.[CCTF]

By the year 2019,Xinhu Wealth made a refinement of its fundraising strategies.Instead of heavily relying on financial contributions made by the firm and donations from employees,it started to seek support from its business partners and other social forces.Three rounds of fundraising in the following two years accelerated the progress of the project.

As of September this year,all 100 libraries will come into use,covering 22 provinces,municipalities and autonomous regions across the country.Twenty-nine of the libraries are located in areas in extreme poverty.Nearly 700,000 publications,over 1,200 book shelves and thousands of chairs,as well as desks,have been provided to these libraries,benefiting about 100,000 children.

A girl from a rural primary school in Ily Kazak Autonomous Prefecture,Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,stands in an"Ankang library".[CCTF]

So far,the implementation of the project has earned widespread recognition and praise from teachers and students in all beneficiary rural schools.A survey conducted by a third-party organization in 39 schools from 17 provinces,municipalities and autonomous regions in late 2020 showed that over 86 percent of interviewed headmasters and teachers were satisfied with the project and about 80 percent of students were supportive of the project.Over 92 percent of students said that they often visited"Ankang libraries"and could find their favorite books there.

When talking about goals for the next step,Qu noted that Xinhu Wealth will further strengthen its cooperation with CCTF on the implementation of the project and seek more support from its business partners,as well as other social forces,in endeavors to improve educational conditions for rural children and support the realization of common prosperity.