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unesco named shenzhen a global model for the promotion of reading yesterday in beijing, bestowing the honorary title in recognition of the city's continuous efforts to improve residents'literacy.
irina bokova, director general of unesco, said that as a frontier city in china's reform and opening up, shenzhen has also taken a national lead in the development of creative and cultural industries.
bokova commended shenzhen's practice of making creativity and culture major driving forces behind sustainable development.
bokova also said she hoped shenzhen would strengthen its cooperation with unesco in fields including education, creative design and literacy.
du yue, secretary general of the national commission for unesco in china, said shenzhen is persistent in its efforts to promote reading among the public and the efforts are generating results. du added that shenzhen's experiences in promoting public reading could be shared with cities worldwide.
shenzhen mayor xu qin received a certificate from bokova and pledged a more active role by shenzhen in unesco activities.
"it took about 30 years for shenzhen to grow from a small fishing village into a modern metropolis, which can be attributed to an inclusive urban culture and residents' persistent learning and innovation," xu said.
xu added that shenzhen will pursue further development through promoting reading and learning.
shenzhen is scheduled to hold its 14th reading month in november, an annual city-wide event to promote reading activities.
unesco also presented wang jingsheng, shenzhen's publicity chief, with a confucius medal to recognize his efforts in promoting reading and traditional chinese culture.
"this medal should actually be given to shenzhen residents,"wang said. "residents' love for culture contributed to shenzhen's fast-growing cultural industry."