Shuxiang 38, which advocates reading among females, kicked off the "" season simultaneously in Beijing and Qufu, east China's Shandong Province, on June 20, attracting the participation of several hundred winners of its previous competition activities.

Wang Hua, deputy director of the campaign's organizing committee, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. He welcomed the winners from all sections of society across the country by saying: "Reading is a spiritual journey. Travel is the reading of the soul. Reading and walking cannot be separated."

This season, focused on the theme of "Travel Reading", hopes to convey the "beauty, joy and power of reading," said organizers, who promoted an accompanying talent show series as part of the campaign.

During the events, scholars were invited to lead locals to read in both cities. In Beijing, an organizer narrated from the classic , and sang a theme song.

Every reading time became a stage where talents bloomed like flowers, said organizers.

Later, a special performance show featured singing, dancing, calligraphy, piano, and reading recitals.

In the past six years since the launch of the Shuxiang 38 campaign, over 100,000 work units and 45 million women members have participated in.

A spokesperson said: "Women's reading is the root and source of . Travel reading is popular among scholars.

"We will continue to unite the social forces to jointly provide high-quality travel reading experiences for women who love books."

(Source: Women Voice/Translated and edited by )