On April 22, China News Service published a report titled “A Dialogue of Civilizations Through the Pages: An Egyptian Teacher in Changchun Discovers China-Egypt Resonance,” featuring Wang Jianhao, an Egyptian teacher at Jilin International Studies University, who visited the “Zhe You Shu” (Here There Is a Book) bookstore in Changchun and observed China’s bookstore ecosystem and nationwide reading practices from a cross-cultural perspective.
A Dialogue of Civilizations Through the Pages: An Egyptian Teacher in Changchun Discovers China-Egypt Resonance
CHANGCHUN, April 22 (China News Service) — “Books are keys that open doors, but you must walk through them yourself.” On the eve of the 31ᵗʰ World Book Day, warm light streamed over the bookshelves at the “Zhe You Shu” bookstore in Changchun, Jilin Province. Egyptian teacher Wang Jianhao walked among the aisles, his gaze lingering for a long time on the Chinese science fiction section.
Having dedicated nearly 22 years to the field of Chinese language studies and taught Chinese for 14 years in Egypt, Wang Jianhao crossed oceans to come to China in 2025 and joined the School of International Communication at Jilin International Studies University.
Bookstores are Wang’s most frequented destination in Changchun. Spanning over 10,000 square meters and featuring a 24-hour smart reading corner, the “Zhe You Shu” bookstore offers a diversified, integrated business model that he finds remarkably refreshing. “It’s very modern here—not just a place to buy books, but also a space with a café, a cultural and creative product area, and camping-style reading nooks. It’s the kind of spiritual haven where you can comfortably spend an entire day.”
As a book lover from Egypt, Wang is accustomed to examining bookstore culture from a cross-cultural perspective. “In Egypt, bookstores have clearly defined functional divisions—some host various cultural events but do not sell books; others sell books but cannot host related activities.” He candidly noted that “Zhe You Shu” offers him a distinctly different experience. “Here, you can not only find books about Egyptian culture but also a wide range of multicultural readings—it is exceptionally inclusive.”
As a comparative literature researcher, Wang’s reading repertoire spans the two great civilizations of Egypt and China. Yu Hua’s The Seventh Day is one of his favorite Chinese novels and became the focus of his doctoral thesis—through a comparison between The Seventh Day and works by Egyptian writer Yusuf al-Siba’i, he explored the commonalities and differences in the “views on life and death” between Egyptian and Chinese literature. “I discovered that Chinese and Egyptian views on life and death share striking similarities—we both firmly believe that life may come to an end, but love and memory never fade.” Wang reflected that this resonance across civilizations is precisely the unique insight that books bestow.
Wang Jianhao reads the Chinese sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem. (Photo by Tan Weiqi)
Amid the sea of books, science fiction is Wang’s personal favorite, with The Three-Body Problem and The Wandering Earth particularly captivating him. “The Three-Body Problem is utterly mind-blowing. It is not just a work of science fiction but also contains profound reflections on humanity and civilization—the author’s imagination is truly astonishing.” Wang noted that while Arabic literature also boasts many excellent sci-fi works, objectively speaking, their scale does not compare to that of China.
In Wang’s view, books have opened multiple windows for him to understand China: “From books, I see a China with a profound history, and I also see a future China full of imagination—every facet is fascinating.” As a cultural bridge between the two countries, he teaches Arabic to Chinese students and Chinese to Arab students. “In my teaching, I have found that whether they are Chinese or Arab students, what they are most curious about is always the literary classics of the other's country.” He believes that reading is not only an effective way to learn a language but also the shortest path to understanding a culture and entering the very soul of a nation.
Regarding the differences in reading habits between Chinese and Egyptian people, Wang offered keen observations: With the acceleration of China’s modernization, Chinese readers tend to prefer e-books, making on-the-go reading a norm; e-books are also developing in the Arab region, though at a relatively slower pace—nevertheless, a growing number of Arabs are now also cultivating the habit of reading on the go.
The year 2026 marks the first year of China’s formal implementation of the National Reading Promotion Regulations, and Changchun has launched a rich variety of reading activities in diverse forms. “Large-scale nationwide reading campaigns like these are rarely seen in Egypt. The way China turns reading into a citywide celebration is both novel and deeply appealing,” Wang remarked with admiration.
