Photo: Sina Weibo

A reader's farewell letter to a public library in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong Province, has touched millions of Chinese netizens recently, as the reader, a 54 year-old migrant worker named Wu Guichun from the hard-hit Hubei Province, said in the letter that he had to leave Dongguan as many factories have been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"I have been in Dongguan for 17 years and came to read in this library for 12 years. Books make people rational and it brings people no harm but only benefits. The epidemic this year has shut down many industries, and migrant workers have nothing to do. We chose to return home," Wu, the bookworm, wrote in a letter on Wednesday when he returned his reader's card to the library on the same day.

Wu left school after he finished his studies in primary school. The library is the place he visited the most during his stay in the city, apart from his workplace and rental house, the Nanfang Daily reported.

He expressed his deep unwillingness to leave the city in the letter. "I will never forget you, Dongguan library. I wish you more prosperity, to further benefit Dongguan and migrant workers in this city with knowledge," he wrote. 

Many Chinese netizens are inspired by Wu's perseverance to read and his desire for knowledge despite his job as a migrant worker and the difficult time during the epidemic.

"No matter how the situation changes, there are people looking for light," Sina Weibo user Yizhitaozitang commented.

"The library is a rare place where everyone is equal, no matter what your social status is, you can get in touch with the thoughts of great people, another Weibo post read.

Many hope that Wu will be able to stay in the city and keep on reading in the future. "The pandemic has driven lots of migrant workers to unemployment, I hope everybody can tide through this difficult year," one said on Weibo.

Some are impressed by Wu's temperament and believe that the elegant words he uses and the way he expresses his emotions in the letter reflected that he is a real bookworm. "Elegance comes out of extensive reading. This uncle is awesome," another noted.

With the help of the local government, Wu is now able to stay in Dongguan and work on gardening and greening in a local community, the People's Daily reported Friday.

"Reading helps me a lot, so it seems to be a loss for me. I would not be able to come here to read any more if I left the city," Wu told the media when explaining why he left such a letter in the library, adding that he now felt assured that he doesn't have to leave the city now.