STORY: Retiree's unique library brings Chinese culture to Barcelona residents
SHOOTING TIME: July 8, 2024
DATELINE: July 9, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:25
LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Chinese library
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): MA XUEFENG, Director of Chinese Library of Barcelona
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): CARLOS GONZALEZ, Local resident
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Spanish): ONA VARGAS, Local resident
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Spanish): WU YIXUAN, Volunteer at Chinese Library of Barcelona
6. various of library
7. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): MA XUEFENG, Director of Chinese Library of Barcelona
8. various of surrounding streets

STORYLINE:

A Chinese library in Barcelona, Spain is dedicated to introducing Chinese culture to the locals.

The Chinese Library of Barcelona is run by Ma Xuefeng, a resident of Barcelona's Hospitalet de Llobregat for six years.

She spent her retirement savings to establish the library, the first of its kind in Barcelona, to offer free lending service.

It took her two years to curate the library's collection, importing books from China.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): MA XUEFENG, Director, Chinese Library of Barcelona
"After I moved to Spain, I noticed that there were very few Chinese books here. I hope that those who want to read Chinese books can have the opportunity to explore and appreciate Chinese culture."

Ma's inspiration for the library stemmed from her admiration for the Spanish classic novel "Don Quixote." 

During the COVID pandemic, she spent 443 days transcribing a Chinese version of the masterpiece into 64 notebooks, now displayed in the library.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): CARLOS GONZALEZ, Local resident
"What interests me most about China is, above all, its culture. We hardly know anything about Chinese culture here, and so that's one reason why I would like to visit China, to experience its culture, to see what it's like and how the people behave."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Spanish): ONA VARGAS, Local resident
"I love going to libraries and reading Manga books, so I came here to see if there were any and I found this one."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Spanish): WU YIXUAN, Volunteer at Chinese Library of Barcelona
"I became a volunteer here when they opened the library because I like Chinese books and we don't have many in Spain. I come here to read books in Chinese."

The library director is optimistic about its future, saying that with everyone's dedication, the library will continue to improve.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): MA XUEFENG, Director of Chinese Library of Barcelona
"Due to everyone's efforts and persistence, this library will become better and better. There are still a lot of needs."

Hospitalet de Llobregat hosts approximately 4,000 residents of Chinese descent, part of the broader 54,000-strong Chinese community in the Barcelona area. The director hopes the library will serve as a gateway for these residents to connect with their cultural roots. 

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain.
(XHTV)