To celebrate the 100th day milestone of the online reading platform –Read For More, the SHKP Reading Club under Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) presented a large-scale youth talk at the sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck recently. Former President of the HKSAR Legislative Council Jasper Tsang, renowned columnist Chip Tsao, who is also dubbed 'Hong Kong's first gifted scholar', as well as well-known cross-media author Ong Yi-hing were invited to share their tips on happy reading with 600 high schoolers, post-secondary students and working youths.

Also attending the talk was SHKP Executive Director Allen Fung, who said the SHKP Reading Club has been promoting the pleasure of reading among young people in recent years and earlier launched a brand-new online reading platform Read For More to discuss reading and daily life issues in lively ways. Celebrating the 100th day milestone, Read For More has attracted over 40,000 readers since its launch in mid-January. Mr Fung studied History in university, so he recommended The Lessons of History, a publication in 1968 to young people, and encouraged them to broaden their horizons by building up a reading habit. 

Held specially at the 100/F of the International Commerce Centre (ICC), the highest building in Hong Kong, SHKP Reading Club's panel talk set against the iconic city skyline attracted high school students from 32 local schools, as well as tertiary students and working youths. Facing the magnificent views of Victoria Harbour, the talk was started by Jasper Tsang who suggested one should develop a reading habit according to their personal interests. He recommended to the audience The Audacity of Hope by the former U.S. president Barack Obama, which is a must-read manual for political practitioners, as well as The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-time, a book about mathematics. Chip Tsao believes reading can help people keep abreast of the times while building up their independent analysis capability in the era of information explosion. Using excerpts from War and Peace by renowned Russian writer Leo Tolstoy as examples, he also advised participating students to take printed publications as a major source for reading and online reading as a supplementary one. One of his recommended titles is Jonathan Black's The Secret History of the World, which helps people gain new perspectives to understand the world. Moderated by Ong Yi-hing, two guest speakers shared some of the remarkable stories they have come across in the world of books, while interacting with the young participants to help nurture their curiosity about the world and encourage their interest in reading.

Last year, the SHKP Reading Club organized a series of activities to mark its fifth anniversary. In 2019, the Club adopted a brand-new approach to further promote reading among youths aged from 15 to 25. One of the new initiatives is the Read For More reading platform, which has crafted various special feature stories, including the '365 Celeb Reading List' and 'Books of the Strange and Weird'. In order to spread the message of 'Everyone can read', the platform also interviewed celebrities such as actor and film director Chin Ka-lok and local singer Alfred Hui, while inviting different travel experts to share their unique experiences. Please visit www.readformore.com to learn more!

About the SHKP Reading Club 

SHKP believes in Building Homes with Heart while promoting reading and holistic development. The Group established the SHKP Reading Club in 2013 to consolidate its reading-related initiatives such as seminars by renowned speakers and guided cultural tours in order to inspire more people to enjoy reading and make it a habit. Those interested in becoming a member are welcome to register for free at: www.shkpreadingclub.com.