On Saturday, 28 June 2025, Ziran Education Foundation was proud to take part in one of Reading’s most beloved annual events — the Reading Waterfest Festival. This marked our first public appearance in the community, and it was a valuable opportunity to introduce our vision and engage directly with local residents.
While many people in Reading are aware that Reading Gaol has recently been sold, there remains widespread curiosity and uncertainty about what lies ahead for this iconic site. Waterfest provided an ideal setting for us to begin sharing the direction of this significant project.
Reading Gaol is set to become The Recentre — a new cultural and social destination that will bring together art, education, heritage, and community engagement. Ziran Education Foundation, established by the Recentre, will serve as the educational branch of this initiative, dedicated to promoting public learning through art, curation, and meaningful dialogue with the local community.
We were honoured to welcome the Mayor of Reading, Dr. Alice Mpofu-Coles, to our stand at the festival. She met with Ziran’s founder, Channing Bi, and joined us for a commemorative photo. It was a meaningful moment that marked the start of a long-term conversation between civic leadership and cultural development. During the visit, we shared with the Mayor our mission for The ReCentre: to create a space that bridges contemporary art, heritage, and community wellbeing. We also introduced our plans to transform a historic building in Reading into a vibrant cultural hub.
Alice Mpofu-Coles (right), Mayor of Reading, with Channing Bi (left), founder of Ziran Education Foundation, at Reading Waterfest Festival
Throughout the day, many festival-goers stopped by to share their hopes, ask questions, and express their enthusiasm for what’s to come. For Ziran, Waterfest was not only a celebration of Reading’s history and community spirit. It was the beginning of a dialogue that we intend to nurture and grow.
As the Recentre takes shape, we will continue working to connect people, ideas, and cultures, and to invite the public to be part of this exciting journey.