On the 26th "World Book and Copyright Day" on April 23, Beijing Publishing Group and Beijing Archives jointly held "Reading Red Beijing – Beijing Publishing Group's 19th World Book and Copyright Day Memorial Forum", telling party history and Beijing by creating a public reading atmosphere for red books and celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

Among the guests present at the event were Li Zhongjie, former deputy director of the Party History Research Center of the CPC Central Committee, editor-in-chief of "Beijing Culture Book Series – Red Culture Series", author of How Would Marx and Engels View China? Liu Yue, second-level inspector of the Party History Research Center of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Office of Beijing Municipal Committee for Local Chronicle Compilation, Mei Jia, second-level inspector of Beijing Archives, Huang Qiaosheng, executive deputy curator of Beijing Lu Xun Museum (New Culture Movement Memorial of Beijing), Lin Qimo, associate researcher of History Museum of Peking University. Leaders from the organizers, Qu Zhong, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Beijing Publishing Group, vice president and general manager, and Li Lijun, deputy curator of Beijing Municipal Archives, delivered speeches. Relevant leaders of Beijing Publishing Group and Beijing Archives attended the event. This event was also included in the "Eleventh Book China – Beijing Reading Season" series of activities.

In his speech, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Vice President and General Manager of Beijing Publishing Group Qu Zhong first explained the main significance of this commemorative forum – "Reading for Enlightenment", which means both reading and enlightenment, and also symbolizes setting sail. He said that Beijing, as the main front for the early spread of Marxism in China, was an important breeding ground for the Communist Party of China. On this fertile soil, Beijing Publishing Group, with its red genes, has gone through a glorious history of more than 70 years. In recent years, it has successively published a large number of masterpieces including CPC Central Committee Beijing Xiangshan Revolutionary History Series, Beijing Culture Book Series – Red Culture Series, Peking University Red Building and the Founding of CPC, which contribute to the maintaining of the spirit of the Communists. On the special day to celebrate the centenary of the party, this reading and sharing event was held with the aim of reading the history of the party in Beijing with books, archives, videos and exhibitions, so as to set sail on a new journey.

Li Lijun, deputy curator of Beijing Archives, was commissioned by Cheng Yong, curator of Beijing Archives, to deliver a welcome speech. He said that Beijing Municipal Archives treasures many red archives that record the brilliant revolutionary history of Beijing, so it shoulders the important mission and social responsibility of making good use of the red resources, telling the red stories with Beijing’s imprint, carrying forward the spirit of the martyrs, and inheriting and promoting the red genes. This year, Beijing Municipal Archives dug deep into the collection of its red archives, and organized a series of activities to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the party. It is hoped that the readers and visitors can experience the vivid figures of party history and the "vivid red history in Beijing", understand the "code" of struggles of the Chinese Communist Party, and understand this one hundred years old party through the archives of historical materials and touching stories, so as to obtain the inexhaustible motivation to advance.

Li Zhongjie, former deputy director of the Party History Research Center of the Central Committee, editor-in-chief of Beijing Culture Book Series – Red Culture Series, and author of How Would Marx and Engels View China? expounded the significance and purpose of carrying out party history learning and education on the World Book and Copyright Day in his keynote speech. He said, "The history of the party is the precious wealth of the Communist Party of China, the historical treasure of the Chinese nation, an important part of the soft power of Chinese culture, and a powerful spiritual force that can be transformed and applied to reality. Under the new historical conditions, it is necessary to cherish the party’s history, study the party’s history seriously, and strive to absorb the rich nutrition, wisdom and pioneering force from the party’s history.” He also introduced the process of writing the two works Beijing Culture Book Series - Red Culture Book Series and How Marx and Engels Would View China?

Liu Yue, the second-level inspector of the Party History Research Center of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Office of Beijing Municipal Committee for Local Chronicle Compilation, focused on sharing books about Red Beijing including The History of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, The Tour of Red Beijing and The History of Beijing Xiangshan Revolutionary Series of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China". He expounded the characteristics of Beijing's red remains; explained Beijing’s "May Fourth Spirit", "Anti-Japanese War Spirit", "Model Worker Spirit" and a series of great spirits. He said, "’Red Beijing’ has witnessed the origin, enrichment and refinement of the Chinese Communist Party's spiritual inheritance, and is a profound nourishment for the cultivation and practice of the core values of socialism."

Mei Jia, the second-level inspector of Beijing Municipal Archives, focused on "Red Beijing in Archives" and the red resources of Beijing Archives.

Huang Qiaosheng, the executive deputy curator of Beijing Lu Xun Museum (New Culture Movement Memorial of Beijing), talked about the century-old "Red Building of Peking University " – today's Beijing New Culture Movement Memorial Hall. He said with emotion, "Peking University has not only magnificent buildings, but also great masters. It was Cai Yuanpei, Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun and other new cultural movement initiators and advocates, as well as numerous teachers and students of Peking University, who gave the "Red Building" a profound historical significance. On the World Book and Copyright Day, we commemorate the masters who made outstanding contributions to national culture. In retrospect of China’s social development over the past century and in the new era, we should emphasize that Beijing is the birthplace and representative city of Chinese modern culture (new culture), and a model city during the transformation of Chinese culture from the old to the new through innovation."

Lin Qimo, associate researcher of the History Museum of Peking University, introduced the glorious history of Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao and other teachers and students working, studying, spreading Marxism and founding the early organizations of the Communist Party of China at Peking University. If you conduct an in-depth investigation of the background of the figures of the early Communist Party organizations in various places, you will find that many of them are from Peking University or related to it. He said, "It can be said proudly that Peking University is China's initial base for spreading Marxism and founding the Communist Party of China." Lin Qimo participated in the compilation of The History Series on the Red Building of Peking University and the Founding of the Communist Party of China, which will be published by Beijing People’s Press of Beijing Publishing Group in the near future.

Ma Chi, deputy general manager of Beijing Publishing Group, presented to Beijing Archives Beijing Culture Book Series - Red Culture Book Series published by Beijing Publishing House, on behalf of the group.

The guests, leaders and viewers visited the "Kindling – Historical Materials Exhibition of Li Dazhao's Revolutionary Activities" launched by Beijing Archives. The exhibition fully excavated the red resources of Beijing Archives and used precious historical materials to objectively and comprehensively reflect the brilliant life of Comrade Li Dazhao as the earliest disseminator of Marxism in China. The exhibition presented nearly 200 archives, materials, and pictures, of which more than 20 were open to the public for the first time.

Guests, leaders and visitors went around the exhibition together

Group photo of the guests

It is learned that on April 24th and 28th, Beijing Publishing Group will also hold two cultural activities for the public, namely "Public Culture Lectures Restarting－Red Beijing in Archives" and "Xiangshan Revolutionary Spirit and Party History in Beijing", which shall help the public to learn the red culture of Beijing and carry forward the spirit of the communists. "