Editor's Note:

"Read ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods" is an ancient Chinese idiom that can be seen in students' textbooks. China's Ministry of Education has published an action plan to further promote reading among students across the nation. With new and diverse book recommendations, the reading scene is expected to be revived not only at schools, but also across society. To contribute to this endeavor, the Global Times launched "My Reading Life" essay contest for middle school students.

Please pick up a pen and share your stories with us at reading@globaltimes.com.cn

Participants will be rewarded once the article has been selected.

A wall painting depicts Lu Xun at the Lu Xun Native Place in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. Photo: IC

I think my reading life is a bit like practicing archery - each shot gets closer and closer to the target over time, and eventually I score a bull's eye.

I started reading when I was so little that I can't really clearly remember what I had read. All the books I read at that time were fairy tales and comics, which were chosen by my parents. 

Those books didn't exert much influence on me, but they have built up some virtues I have now, such as honesty, kindness and so on.

 When I was at primary school, I found one of my classmates holding a book about elementary science, and I was like "Wow, you're able to read that?" I looked at the page he was reading, and was fascinated by the content. It said, "How does the toilet flush?" I realized that I'd never thought about this common phenomenon in daily life. The book led me into a completely new but also interesting field. 

Finally, I asked my mom to buy me the same book that night. It was the first time I asked for a book rather than a toy.

As I grew up, my selection of books changed, from fully illustrated books to ones without pictures. From The Cartoon Guide to Biology to Faces in the Crowd, and then to The True Story of Ah Q, these books in my bookcase are evidence of my growth.

The Cartoon Guide to Biology is a humorous book about the profound subject of biology. It covers a lot of interesting topics such as inviting people to look into the world of DNA study. Those profound knowledge was delivered in an amusing way, which has ignited my passion for the science world. 

The novella The True Story of Ah Q was written by renowned Chinese author Lu Xun. Lu Xun is also known as Zhou Shuren. He was one of China's greatest writers and is still praised by many young people as an idol. Reading the author's book taught me a lot, and I've learned to be a young person who can think critically about the world as well as to be always brave and upright. 

I still remember that reading about the Harry Potter book collection was a fad that lasted for more than a year. 

I tried to follow it, but later I found that the book was not the type of book for me, so I stuck to my own taste for books. 

Then, I accidentally read a part of The Three-Body Problem written by Liu Cixin. I found it so attractive that I bought the whole series and finished it within two months. 

I have read a lot of sci-fi stories and have been obsessed with great sci-fi movies since then, and they have inspired my interest in math, physics and biology. 

So I have continued to read more such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Science of Interstellar. 

Thanks to my growing interest in these subjects, my performances in math and physics have greatly improved.

Books are good companions in my life. What I've read has a big influence on my reading orientations, daily life and studies, and helped me reach my goals quickly and steadily. Without reading, I may not be who I am now.

The author is a student at the Beijing National Day School