In 1995, 10-year-old Zhou Qinggui from Hangtou, a village in the city of Linyi, Shandong province, was expected to drop out of school after elementary level due to poverty. A passionate reader who carried books while tending livestock and gathering pigweed, Zhou was heartbroken.

1995年，山东临沂杭头村10岁的周庆贵因家境贫寒，小学毕业后便面临辍学。这个放牧、打猪草时都手不释卷的孩子，伤心欲绝。

To allow the boy to continue his education, his mother borrowed money, and his elder brother and younger sister both gave up schooling, one after the other.

为了让周庆贵继续读书，母亲四处借钱，哥哥和妹妹也先后辍学。

In 2021, Zhou and six childhood friends — truck drivers, ride-hailing drivers, decorators, small hardware store owners — raised more than 80,000 yuan ($11,730) and turned Zhou's old, 240-square-meter house into a library where village children could study and read.

2021年，周庆贵与六位儿时伙伴——如今是货车司机、网约车司机、装修工、五金店小老板——共同筹资八万余元，将周家240平米的老宅改造成了一座图书馆，供村里孩子们学习阅读。

In 2019, Zhou, then a PhD candidate at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, returned to the village — which has a population of 8,000 to 10,000, including many children whose parents work elsewhere — for thesis work.

2019年，当时还是上海交通大学博士研究生的周庆贵，为撰写论文回到这个拥有八九千人口、留守儿童众多的村庄。

Walking around, he found that despite economic gains, with factories replacing wheat fields, there was a lack of quiet reading spaces. While many families were better off than before, the absence of a reading culture had led to excessive time spent on entertainment, and without college graduate role models, children hesitated to dream big.

走访中他发现，尽管麦田变工厂，经济条件改善了，但村里缺少安静的阅读空间。许多家庭虽比以前富裕，阅读氛围的缺失却让孩子们把大量时间花在娱乐上；加之缺乏大学生榜样，孩子们不敢怀揣远大梦想。

"To improve the cultural climate, education is key, and building a library could be a concrete step forward," Zhou wrote in his WeChat public account.

"要改善文化风气，教育是关键，而建一座图书馆是实实在在能迈出的一步。"周庆贵在个人微信公众号中写道。

"It should be a cultural space that can provide a wider spiritual world for children to elevate their confidence and broaden their vision, rather than a space for kids to finish their homework," Zhou said.

"它应该是一个文化空间，能为孩子们提供更广阔的精神世界，提升他们的自信心，开阔他们的眼界，而不仅仅是写作业的地方。"周庆贵说。

He named the library Siyuan — which means "remember the source" in Chinese — after his alma mater's motto: "Drink water and remember the source; love your country and honor your school."

他将图书馆命名为"思源"，取自母校上海交大"饮水思源，爱国荣校"的校训。

His 70-year-old father manages the library as a volunteer. Retired teachers from nearby schools also help, organizing books, creating reading lists and guiding children.

他70岁的父亲义务管理着图书馆。附近学校的退休教师也来帮忙，整理图书、制定阅读书单、给孩子们以指导。

Over five years, the library has collected more than 20,000 volumes, from children's picture books to classics.

五年间，思源图书馆的藏书从儿童绘本到经典名著，已超过两万册。

Now the Siyuan Library serves as a study and reading space for over 30 people, and its visitor register has recorded more than 1,000 names. To attract more children, Zhou, now a teacher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, gives remote lessons on a regular basis. During winter and summer breaks, he returns to the village to discuss daily studies, college entrance exam goals and career planning. He also invites the university's alumni to give talks, and organizes exchange activities with key city middle schools.

如今，思源图书馆可供30余人同时学习阅读，来访登记簿上已记录了一千多个名字。为了吸引更多孩子，已是上海交大教师的周庆贵定期远程授课。寒暑假时，他便回到村里，和孩子们探讨日常学业、高考目标及职业规划。他还邀请大学校友前来讲座，并组织与城市重点中学的交流活动。

Gradually, Zhou has seen the library grow into a cherished learning space. In the beginning, bad habits such as littering were common. But he stressed that the library was meant to teach not only knowledge, but also moral values. Now, students tidy up before they leave.

渐渐地，周庆贵看着图书馆成长为一方备受珍视的学习天地。起初，乱扔垃圾等不良习惯很常见，但他强调，图书馆不仅要传授知识，也要涵养品德。现在，学生们离开前都会主动收拾整洁。

Furthermore, while village children pick up good study habits and confidence, their parents have also embraced a new habit — reading together with their children.

不仅如此，村里的孩子们在养成良好学习习惯和树立自信的同时，家长们也养成新习惯——与孩子一起阅读。

Zhou took great pride when 14 village students entered universities in 2024. In 2025, that number rose to 34, making him even happier.

2024年，村里有14名学生考上大学，这让周庆贵倍感自豪。到了2025年，这个数字增至34人，更令他欣喜不已。

He plans to open two or three more branches in other villages, using the same principles — the libraries should genuinely help a large number of people, and access should always be free.

他计划在其他村子再开办两到三个分馆，遵循同样的原则——图书馆要实实在在惠及更多人，且永远免费开放。

"I hope to use a platform like the Siyuan Library to leverage the power of the humanities to help drive economic and social progress," he said.

"我希望借助思源图书馆这样的平台，发挥人文的力量，助力推动经济和社会进步。"他说。