On 23 April, on the occasion of the 28th World Reading Day, the National Library of China (NLC) held "The Announcement of the 18th Wenjin Book Award & the Special Activity of the NLC 4•23 World Reading Day, 2023". More than 100 people attended the activity, including Zhu Bo, Deputy Director of Public Service Department, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Xiong Yuanming, Director of the NLC and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of the NLC, Chen Ying, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the NLC and Deputy Director of the NLC, Zhang Zhiqing, Executive Deputy Director of the NLC, Zhang Jun, Deputy Director of the NLC, Huo Ruijuan, Deputy Director of the NLC, representatives of Wenjin Book Award judges, award-winning book authors (translators), and representatives of publishers and joint review institutions.

The 18th Wenjin Book Award was announced at the event, including 19 titles of award-winning books and 38 titles of recommended books.

Xiong Yuanming, Chen Ying and Zhang Zhiqing respectively presented awards to authors of award-winning books in social sciences, popular science, and children's literature. Zhang Jun and Huo Ruijuan presented awards to award-winning publishing houses.

Xiong Yuanming presented awards to authors of award-winning books in social sciences.

Chen Ying presented awards to authors of award-winning books in popular science.

Zhang Zhiqing presented awards to authors of award-winning books in children's literature.
 

Zhang Jun presented awards to award-winning publishing houses.
 

Huo Ruijuan presented awards to award-winning publishing houses.

Judges A Jia, Yin Chuanhong, and Bu Jian reviewed the selection of the 18th Wenjin Book Award in terms of children, popular science and social science. Huang Wenjun, Tian Yantao, and Ji Dongliang delivered a speech respectively on behalf of the award-winning authors.

The list of "Wenjin Leading Readers of the National Library of China" in 2023 was released on the event, i.e. Zhou Guoping, a researcher and writer of the Institute of Philosophy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Liang Xiaosheng, a professor and writer of the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Beijing Language and Culture University, A Jia, a promoter of children's reading, Luo Xiang, a professor of China University of Political Science and Law, Chunni, a host of Beijing Radio & Television Station, and Wang Lei, president of the School of Animation and Digital Arts, Communication University of China, as the members. They will give full play to their professional advantages and influence in their field to encourage more readers in the country to participate in reading, learn to read, and love reading.

Three award-winning authors, Tian Qing, honorary director of the Music Research Institute of the Chinese National Academy of Arts, Luo Xin, professor of the Department of History of Peking University, and Zhao Maomao, a writer of children's literature, gave a lecture named "Chinese Music", "Telling the Past for the Future", and "My, My" respectively, sharing their creation origin and creation process, and introducing the wonderful contents of the award-winning books.

At the same time, National Joint Lecture Activity of the NLC Forum, i.e. "One Book, One Person, One City", was officially launched. The annual 12 event plans and list of organizers were announced. Zhu Bo, Xiong Yuanming, Wang Long, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Sichuan Provincial Library, Wang Kaixue, Deputy Director of the Shanxi Library, launched the joint lecture activity.

The first salon organized by the NLC Forum, "Lao She and Beijing City—History and Emotions Bonded with the Soul," was also launched on the same day. The event invited Chunni, the winner of the Chinese "Golden Microphone" award and the host of Beijing Radio and Television Station, Zhang Li, a professor at the School of Chinese Language and Literature of Beijing Normal University and a scholar in contemporary Chinese literature research, Ning Ken, Vice Chairman and renowned writer of the Beijing Writer's Association, and Gao Lizhi, the editor in chief of Wenjin Publishing House and deputy editor of Beijing Publishing House, as dialogue guests. They engaged in a dialogue around the life story and representative works of the famous writer Mr. Lao She, who was the first to receive the title of "People's Artist" in New China, as well as his contributions to Beijing style literature. They led readers into Mr. Lao She's vast literary world and felt his "soul bound" Beijing history and emotions.

In conjunction with this event, the 18th Wenjin Book Award Exhibition, supported by the Beijing National Library Development Foundation, was held in the second floor hall of the NLC North Area. At the same time, 150 libraries from 31 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions across the country had jointly released the results of the Wenjin Book Award and held the "Award-winning Books Exhibition". In addition, the NLC had collaborated with Beijing MTR Corporation Limited to launch the special event of M Metro•Library "One Book, One Person, One City".