Public figures give thoughts on World Book Day

Vincent Hein, Asian Literary Prize-winning author (Prix Littéraire de l’Asie)

China seemed so mysterious to me when I was young. To read a book that helps you understand China, it shouldn’t be stereotyped or condescending. It should be just so one can decide it for themselves.

Recommendation: For me, the best book about China would be Un barbare en Asie (A Barbarian in Asia), by Henri Michaux.

Gao Yan, president of Alstom China

As Chairman Mao said, “one should never survive a day without reading”. To read, perseverance is most important, and the harvest comes with accumulation. Good books are able to fresh the mind, broaden the vision, and enrichlife experiences. In the modern age filled with overwhelming and fast-flowing information, making time to read will allow us to think and reflect, and help shape our understanding of the world.

Recommendation: Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work and Think

Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. As China Country President of a company in such magnitude and scale, I feel there is a need to constantly keep myself in the forefront of the technology world. In the age of big data, it is imperative for business leaders to possess the abilityof how to gain insights from the incomprehensible amount of information, and how to integrate it into business application, and most importantly, generate value to our customers. In this groundbreaking and fascinating book, two of the world's most-respected data experts reveal the reality of a big data world and outline clear and actionable steps that help us to embrace the next phase of human evolution.

Stuart A. Spencer, CEO of General Insurance, Asia Pacific, Zurich Insurance Company Ltd

Recommendation: Empire, written by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri.

They demonstrate in this bold work the new political order of globalization. It is easy to recognize the contemporary economic, cultural, and legal transformations taking place across the globe but difficult to understand them. Hardt and Negri contend that they should be seen in line with our historical understanding of Empire as a universal order that accepts no boundaries or limits. Their book shows how this emerging Empire is fundamentally different from the imperialism of European dominance and capitalist expansion in previous eras.

Related video: Thoughts on World Book Day

Special coverage: World Book Day 2014

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