To be honest, in the past, I rarely read books and even hated reading. Though I had good grades in school, I read for the sake of exams and never read in the real sense. Reading was so boring for me that I would rather play games for fun.

It was not until I was admitted to the Egyptian Language School to study Chinese that I came to realize the value of reading. At that time, I was eager to improve my oral language, so I paid special attention to my Chinese pronunciation and listening skills. I discovered that while other foreigners' pronunciation of Chinese might not match mine, they were far more knowledgeable about the country and its customs. Although I could pronounce words correctly, I was unable to understand what they were talking about. I became acutely aware of the importance of reading. As the Chinese old saying goes, "Reading ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles." It inspires me to never stop reading and expanding my knowledge.

These days, I am one of the many foreigners who are extremely interested in China's rapid development. As we previously perceived, China was a relatively underdeveloped country. We are curious about how these enormous improvements have been accomplished. I strongly recommend Teahouse, a famed play by Chinese writer Lao She (1899–1966), to foreign readers.