A long-held dream by a man born in a small village has led to new hope for poor and migrant students in Shanghai.

Yang Yong'an yesterday launched a fund to buy books for such children, donating 600,000 yuan (US$77,320) to the city's charity foundation to set up the Zhi'ai Charity Fund.

"I was born in a village of Anhui Province, so I could not study much in my childhood, but now there are still a lot of children who can't read books in many other rural areas," said Yang, general manager of the Shanghai Quanyi Education Consulting Company, during the ongoing book fair at Shanghaimart.

"It was always my dream to establish a fund to help children read more books, because children's future is our future too," he said.

With the theme of "Reading, Growing and Love," the Zhi'ai Charity Fund will be used to buy new books, and residents are also encouraged to donate books or money.

The fund will be based on a neighborhood mobile library project.

"People can donate unwanted or second-hand books to the fund, or exchange used books for new ones, which is a part of the project," said Dai Gang, an official with the Shanghai Charity Foundation.

Shanghai Art and Literature Publishing Group also offered 100,000 yuan worth of books to the fund yesterday. The books will be given to Yuying and Xinxing primary schools in Yangpu District, which teach migrant children.

"I hope all the poor and migrant children can read more books with the fund, which is also in accordance to the theme of this year's book fair," said Yang Yiping, president of the Shanghai Art and Literature Publishing Group.

(Shanghai Daily August 16, 2007)