Recently, CCTV host Dong Qing appeared in Shanghai and held a unique "Love Coffee Reading Party" with children and volunteers, and spent an unforgettable afternoon with playing, reading and listening. The reporter learned about the warm behind-the-scenes of this book club in the interview.
Establish a social practice base for autistic children
Cao Xiaoxia, winner of the 2018 Shanghai Magnolia Award, director of the Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra, founder of the Shanghai public welfare organization "Angel Voice" Salon, and founder of the "Love * Coffee" Autism Social Practice Base, told reporters that on January 23, his father, a 97-year-old famous conductor Cao Peng, was invited to record the program of "Readers". Previously, through recording, Dong Qing and autistic children were associated. She read aloud on the stage of CCTV and touched the audience with her profound literary heritage. Stepping off the stage, she walked from CCTV's "Readers" into the Autistic Children's Love Coffee Autism Social Practice Base and established a book club. During the interview, Cao Xiaoxia told the Yangtze Evening News/Purple Cow News reporter, "Dong Qing interviewed my father on Shanghai TV very early. This time, "Readers" invited my father to participate, and after learning that there was an autism public welfare project, there was a story behind it. ”
It is reported that in September 2005, the famous Chinese music conductor Cao Peng and his daughter Cao Xiaoxia initiated the establishment of the Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra, which is the first non-professional symphony orchestra in Chinese mainland. Later, Cao Xiaoxia focused her work on public welfare undertakings and used music to open the hearts of autistic children. In 2008, with the help of the Shanghai Charity Foundation, the "Angel Confidant Salon" was jointly established with the Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra, and more than 200 young volunteers of the Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra formed a charity volunteer team to join hands with caring volunteers from all walks of life to serve autistic children with musical instruments in their hands and help them get out of loneliness.
In May 2018, the long-brewed "Love Coffee" opened, Cao Xiaoxia looks forward to the form of a café, so that autistic children can have a platform to learn how to socialize, learn how to communicate with ordinary people, and gradually integrate into society, and hope that more ordinary people can understand autism through this platform. At the Shanghai Youth Activity Center, in addition to making coffee, autistic teenagers are also learning cultural knowledge classes and dance classes.
Dong Qing signed up for volunteers and improvised the book club
At the scene, the recitation of "Wind" by the children of the "Love Classroom" and the English recitation of "Never Give Up" and "Spring Spring" by Xu Yizheng and Yan Jiachen of the senior class opened the reading activity, and Shen Yanzhen's recitation of Guo Moruo's prose "Egret" was beautiful and quiet, attracting infinite reverie. Volunteer Teacher Tang Li recited the "Little Prince" fragment "Clear Spring in the Desert" which was touching. The little prince said: The desert is beautiful because there is a well hidden somewhere in the desert. Grandpa Cao Peng was a well in the desert. Teacher Tang, an excellent volunteer, explained her original intention of selecting the articles.
The children's volunteers brought by Dong Qing presented their own programs, some children played the piano, some children told stories, and some children changed magic. They are all very carefully prepared, and the show is wonderful and good-looking. Dong Qing also fondly shared with everyone the work of Japanese writer ShinMei Minamiyoshi's "Last Year's Tree".
As early as last year, at the 13th "Love in the City Care Autism Concert", with the help of her friend Dong Qing, the Shanghai Lanhai Charity Foundation donated funds to the Shanghai Cao Peng Charity Foundation to help autistic children. Recently, Cao Xiaoxia received a call from Dong Qing, saying that he wanted to "love coffee" to volunteer. "The two of us discussed it, and Dong Qing said, 'I can read it to children with autism.'" I was inspired that autistic children were not good at reading, and children who just loved the classroom also learned a few poems and texts for them to exercise. Cao Xiaoxia told reporters that in this way, the two of them improvised the establishment of the "Love Coffee - Book Club" in one go. "What a great idea to drink coffee and read a book and let autistic kids talk."
On that day, the coffee-loving volunteers and autistic children all recited their own texts and books to read, and Dong Qing led her classmates to read several picture books for the children and volunteers at the reading meeting, which won a round of applause. This day's "love coffee" not only wafts with the aroma of coffee, but also mixed with a cheerful cultural atmosphere. Watching several autistic baristas teach the guests to make coffee step by step, it is like a little teacher. Suddenly felt that this experience of loving coffee had trained them, from not being able to deal with people to teaching people how to make coffee, I really dare not imagine. It seems that there is really only what we can't think of, and there is nothing they can't do. Thank you to the volunteers for their long-term and tireless support! ”
Yangtze Evening News/Purple Cow News reporter Zhang Nan
Images courtesy of respondents