Hong Kong- China Alliance Press (CAP) is currently hosting Reading Carnival 2006 in an attempt to promote Christian culture through literature.

Opened on Friday evening at the Tsimshatsui Kaifong Welfare Association, some 40 display booths are available with a wide variety of Christian resources and spiritual books. For its slogan says "Opening a New Horizon of Reading through Fun Programs," the carnival is not just simply an book exhibition, but it has consisted of many cultural performances such as gospel Chinese martial arts, gospel magic shows, gospel traditional Cantonese operas, choir singing and others.

According to CAP, through promoting readings of the Bible, books, people, object, and soul in various ways including music, arts, sports, photography and literatures, participants are encouraged to learn and to practise love, faith and hope in their daily lives.

The Carnival is backed by many famous local pastors, including chairman of the Broad of Directors of CAP Rev. James Cheung, the director of the Publishing Department of the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Rev. Chung Ka Lok, the general secretary of the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church Union Hong Kong Rev. Yiu Tim Sau and so on.

Believers should raise the quality of their spiritual life through reading spiritual books, so that they can understand the true power of this world comes from God, according to Cheung. Rev. Gordon Siu from the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church shared about his experience in helping his children to set up a reading habit.

On Saturday, over 500 people have visited Carnival from the morning to the evening. Volunteers of the Carnival expect that there will be more visitors during the weekend.

The Carnival will close on Monday, May 15 evening. For detailed timetable of the Carnival, please visit the website.

CAP was first founded in 1911 by Christian & Missionary Alliance Church missionary Rev. Robert Alexander Jaffray in Guangxi, China. It was made to publish bible study notes, gospel materials and booklets. Later it has developed a newspaper and a magazine. In 1978, it becomes a publishing company for Chinese Christians.

[Editor’s Note: Chris Chan reported from Hong Kong for this article and Eunice Or from San Francisco.]