Marriott International and Yao Foundation jointly launch a new project named “let’s build hope together” which drives for children in rural china.

Guess what kind of books influenced Yao Ming, the former professional basketball star, and the founder of charity organization Yao Foundation, as a child? (Books related to sports, such as the autobiographies of those famous athletes, seem like a promising shot.

Not exactly the case. Yao said thathis two favorite books in childhood are Robinson Crusoe and Five Thousand Years of Chinese Nation. He is recommending these books to the students of the hope primary schools supported by Yao Foundation and Marriott International, as an inspiration for them to be adventurous and also embrace the future

Robinson Crusoe, first published in 1719, is a popular novel by Daniel Defoe about the saga of a fictional castaway Robinson Crusoe. The Five Thousand Years of Chinese Nation is a collection of historical stories of China during the past five millenniums written in easy and fun-to-read fashion.

“Robinson Crusoe is a good adventure book inspiring us to explore the unknown worlds, while learning from the invaluable experiences of our country’s profound history can help us to embrace the future,” said Yao.

Yao’s advocacy of encouraging children to be adventurous and have the aspiration to see the world is echoed by Simon Cooper, President and Managing Director - Asia of Marriott International. Cooper’s recommendations an atlas.

“When I was young, I really liked reading atlases because they showed me all the parts of the world that I wanted to visit later on in my life,” said Cooper. “I am donating this atlas to the Marriott Yao Foundation hope schools. I want to inspire these children to understand the world in which they live. I also want to inspire them to travel.”