After a long day exploring this year’s Hong Kong Book Fair, Jackson Kuang, 13, and his sister Kelly, 9, who received free admission through a summer reading program sponsored by Sino Group, still gleamed with excitement.

The siblings spent hours browsing the fair, held from July 15 through 21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and left with half a dozen books.

Jackson said he was especially drawn to a popular science book.

“It teaches me lots of life lessons,” he said. “Murphy’s Law, for example — anything that can go wrong will go wrong. It made me realize I must plan everything very carefully to avoid making mistakes.

“Reading certainly helps me see things from more than one perspective,” he added.

The Kuang siblings were among hundreds of participants who took part in Sino Group’s Joyful Reading program, a summer reading initiative.

The program, part of the group’s broader effort to encourage reading among people in Hong Kong, offered participants free entry to the city’s flagship book fair and book tokens.

Activities included a lucky draw at the book fair, which awarded 70,000 prizes, such as a one-night stay and cultural experience package at a local heritage hotel, as well as S+ REWARDS shopping coupons at designated Sino malls.

It also included a variety of reading activities and incentive plans based on Community Living Rooms, a special administrative region government-backed initiative that offers shared common spaces with diverse facilities to improve residents’ quality of life.

Sino Group Chairman Daryl Ng Win-kong said, “Reading broadens the mind, inspires thinking and supports personal growth. It plays an important role in a child’s development.”

He added, “In recent years, different sectors of society have encouraged people to ‘love reading, have good books to read and know how to gain from reading’, inspiring people to make reading a part of their daily lives and to continue learning over time.”

“Through the Hong Kong Book Fair, one of the city’s flagship cultural events, we hope to encourage more children and families to read books, discover new ideas and develop interest in lifelong learning,” Ng said. “We are also pleased to extend reading opportunities to families in need through the Community Living Room platform, helping bring reading closer to the community.”

Motivated by reading

Another aspect of Sino Group’s summer reading drive is a reading incentive program in partnership with Community Living Rooms across Sham Shui Po, Hung Hom, and Shau Kei Wan, as well as Hong Kong Children and Youth Services.

Community Living Room members who achieve designated reading goals under the program will be eligible to redeem e-cash vouchers under Sino Group’s S+ REWARDS loyalty program. This initiative is expected to encourage participants to read nearly 2,000 books during the campaign, the group said.

Alvin Chui, project development manager of Project Development Department (Community Living Room), expressed deep appreciation for the reading initiative. “It is encouraging to see many children gradually develop an interest in reading, while parents are becoming more actively involved in parent-child reading activities,” he said.

“The program not only enriches the services offered by Community Living Rooms, but also responds to the educational, developmental and cultural needs of many families, helping children build lifelong reading habits.”

A good place to read

Elaine Huang, the mother of Kelly and Jackson, said she noticed that this year’s book fair featured more educational craft kits and interactive activities. “The learning experience is much richer and more varied,” she said.

The Kuang family has become regulars at the Sham Shui Po Community Living Room over the past two years.

As part of the program, reading corners have been set up at participating Community Living Rooms, providing children and families with greater access to books and reading resources.

Kelly said she finds the reading corner quieter than her home. Whenever she encounters an unfamiliar Chinese character or an English word, the university student volunteers on-site are always happy to help.

“If I don’t know an English word, they’ll tell me what it means, show me how to say it, and give me simple sentences to help me remember. They make it easy,” the 9-year-old said.

Jackson agreed, saying that the space’s comfortable surroundings have made reading more productive than at home.

Huang said the Community Living Room has become an essential part of her children’s after-school routine. They often head there to curl up with books or take part in parent-child games organized by the center.

“I can clearly see the academic progress the children have made over these two years,” she said.

Reading to grow

Reading pays dividends in ways that cannot be measured in grades alone. Huang said it helps with the formation of a well-rounded worldview as they read and reflect.

Huang said her son has grown into a thoughtful and even-tempered young person. “His teachers always say he’s so even-tempered,” she said. Meanwhile, her daughter has just started a new bedtime ritual: reading stories to her mother, often adding her own creative twists that reveal a growing sense of empathy, care, and independence.

“She keeps telling me the story of The Ugly Duckling,” Huang said, referring to the classic tale of an awkward, gray bird ridiculed for looking different, weathering a bitter winter, only to blossom into a majestic swan. “But she adds that the duckling wasn’t really ugly — it was just like her: sporty and a little darker-skinned.”

The mother said, “Reading widely not only boosts kids’ literacy but also builds their character gradually.”