Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Guangzhou, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) — "What do you think was the main cause of Anna Karenina's tragedy?" and "How can we find a balance between society, family responsibilities, love, and freedom?" — these are the questions that touch the deepest chords of the soul that were recently posed at the Guangzhou Library in Guangdong Province (southern China).
The Guangzhou Library is currently hosting the exhibition "Leo Tolstoy and His World," a traveling exhibition traveling through Guangzhou, Foshan, and Shenzhen. It features over 200 unique images reflecting the life of the renowned Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. The exhibition runs until December 28.
ANNA'S FATE IS IN YOUR HANDS
At the exhibition site, an interactive mini-script, "Anna's Choice," immerses readers in the story of Anna Karenina. The script distills this grand epic into five key scenes, and readers, assuming the role of "Anna," answer questions prepared by library staff and make decisions at pivotal moments throughout all five acts. Each choice leads to different plot threads, revealing alternative endings for Anna. By making choices for her at key crossroads in her life, readers ultimately create their own ending.
"Freedom must be prioritized over responsibility; a person cannot have absolute freedom," one reader wrote at the end of "Return to the Family." Those who discovered the ending of "New Life" for Anna are completing her internal monologues on the pages: "Trust your heart," "I am the most important!" "Love is far less important than being yourself. I will live for myself, do what I want, I still have so much time!" These reader reviews and notes have now filled six pages and continue to grow.
"We strive to overcome the sense of distance associated with 'out-of-reach classics' and restore the literary masterpiece, created nearly 150 years ago, to its ability to engage in a vibrant dialogue with modern audiences," says the exhibition's curator from the Guangzhou Library, adding that when young people immerse themselves in the role through an interactive mini-scenario, the barriers of time and space between them and Anna disappear, leaving only an emotional connection. Her dilemmas in love, social pressure, and self-discovery—all of these are still felt by many today.
CLASSICS IN A NEW FORMAT
With the goal of engaging as many readers, especially younger generations, with classic literature, the exhibition introduced lighter, more interactive formats. These included a voting wall based on the documentary source "The Last Diary of Leo Tolstoy," as well as an online challenge, "My Energetic Day with Leo Tolstoy." To date, over 200 readers have participated in this event, sharing their active daily routines on social media using the hashtag. Some noted Leo Tolstoy's schedule as "incredibly busy," admiring his energy; others left comments like, "Leo Tolstoy's day was so busy and varied, and my day is no less filled with joy and fun!"
The library also organized a creative writing workshop based on Leo Tolstoy's novel "Resurrection." Participants are invited to write an "inner monologue" from a character's perspective and then perform it on stage. This "reading plus creativity plus performance" format encourages the public to discover classic works through a personalized approach and create new content based on them. After the event, many readers admitted to being "strongly impressed."
"It's very touching," says Huang Zhaoran, a reader from Guangzhou. "Especially after delving into the heroine's inner world, my previous opinion regarding her atoning act has completely changed." She says the events have enabled her to read two of Leo Tolstoy's books in their entirety, and the everyday details of the writer at the exhibition allowed her to get closer to the literary genius's inner world.
This isn't the first time the Guangzhou Library has held such events. Previously, it invited readers to rewrite Chekhov's stories in the Guangdong (Cantonese) dialect. It also organized a themed "Literary Feast," where excerpts about food from "Dream of the Red Chamber," one of China's four classic novels, were presented in the form of a "plate service," turning reading into a kind of "gastronomic ritual."
As the library's representative explained, all these efforts are essentially an answer to a fundamental question: in an age of fragmented information and diverse entertainment, how can we re-engage people with rich classics? Our answer is to enhance the reading experience, interactivity, and collaborative creativity. When readers feel connected to the classics, that they can participate in the process and leave their mark, deep reading happens naturally. -0-
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