Today is World Book Day, an annual event organized by the UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

To celebrate the wonderment of books and those that make them come to life, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established 23 April as World Book and Copyright Day in 1995. However, it got its start long before that in Spain.

Setting aside a day to celebrate books traces its beginnings to Spanish writer Vicente Clavel Andrés. In 1922 he proposed the idea as a way to honor fellow countryman author Miguel de Cervantes. Four years later the first celebration took place on 7 October, Cervantes’ birthday, but was moved to 23 April, the date of his death, in 1930.

Reading books brings with it numerous benefits giving people the opportunity to explore new worlds and meet new people both real and imagined. It expands our knowledge and understanding of the world around us and those far away.

Today, let’s seize the occasion to pick your favorite book and celebrate the joy of reading!

(By Fan Ying/Qi Qian)