Xinhuanet, Beijing, April 23 , Title: Reading is a "lifelong event" for everyone

  Xinhuanet reporter Li Xin, Wang Kunshuo, Qian Fang

  April 23 is the 30th World Book Day. The theme of this year's World Book Day is "Reading: The Bridge to the Future", which advocates broadening horizons and conveying wisdom through reading, and providing spiritual motivation for building a better tomorrow.

  At the moment when artificial intelligence is emerging, what changes have occurred in people's reading habits? As the times change, what is the readers’ interest in reading? How can we move towards the future by reading this bridge?

Readers read at the National Library of China. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jinhai

  From hand-free roll to digital audio-visual

  In the early morning, I found a location to stop and opened the "big head" weighing about 2 kilograms in my bag and immersed in the text. This is a "fixed action" on the commuting road every day in a village working in Shanghai.

  In Beijing, thousands of miles away, Xiao Wu, who just graduated from university last year, also holds paper books on the subway to and from get off work. "The feeling of reading paper books is more ritual and more focused." Xiao Wu said, "I am used to recording with a pen, and paper books are more convenient for me."

  At present, paper books are still the mainstream of publishing and occupy a place in people's reading life.

  The latest data shows that the comprehensive reading rate of Jiangsu residents in 2024 reached 90.3%, and the per capita reading volume of paper books increased to 5.5; the "Guangzhou "City of Library" Construction Annual Report 2024" shows that in 2024, readers per capita reading 23.98 paper books.

  With the surging wave of digitalization, mobile phone reading, listening to books, and video lectures are increasingly integrated into life, becoming a new way of reading that the public is used to.

  E-books are more common among young people. Taking the China Literature Platform as an example, in 2024, readers under the age of 30 accounted for nearly 40% of the new users, and the number of works per person reading increased from 28 to 31 throughout the year.

  "Portuguese and efficient." In the view of Xiaolin, a graduate student in art at Peking Normal University, these are the two most prominent advantages of e-books. She can take screenshots and archive them while reading, and it is more convenient than paper books when searching for content. In addition, the social attributes of e-books are also very attractive to her. She said: "On some reading apps, you can see books and notes that friends are reading."

  The experience of programmers Xianzhe is more distinctive in the digital age. Because she loves reading, but because of the numerous platforms and the scattered notes, she spent the past two years to develop a reading app "Zhongshan Xiao" that can integrate notes across platforms. Surprisingly, this APP is not only a reading assistant, but also allows her to see the increase in the number of users' readings. In 2020, the number of books per person read and the reading time were 5 books and 20 hours. From 2022 to 2024, this set of data reached about 10 books and 40-50 hours. "In this era of short videos competing for user time, the improvement of reading time is very valuable." Xianzhe said.

Xianzhe showed off the app she developed at home. Photo provided by the interviewee

  Digital reading is not a patent for young people alone. Mr. Fang, who has worked in the media for more than 20 years, has been engaged in foreign language reporting for many years, and reading original English e-books has become a part of his life. "Reading the original book has a 'original' feeling, 'translation is an art of regret', or want to intuitively understand the author's original meaning."

  In addition to portability, Mr. Fang said: "Big" like "Three Thousand Years of Jerusalem, paper books look "pressure", and e-books cannot see the specific thickness, but instead use fragmented time to read them."

  "You can read books of all kinds." Zhang Xiaoshuang, a young teacher at the School of International Relations, is a microcosm of today's diverse reading methods. "I use a lot of books in my daily work, so I read more portable e-books in large quantities, but I use them often and get used to reading paper. I also listen to books, mainly for leisure and entertainment," she said.

A corner of the National Library of China. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jinhai

  Faced with changes in reading methods, libraries, publishers, bookstores, etc. are also actively embracing new technologies and exploring innovation in digital content. For example, the National Library provides readers with 100,000 e-book reading services published in recent years, and has created digital reading brands such as "M·Metro Library".

  In recent years, the digital business revenue of People's Literature Publishing House has maintained a growth rate of more than 20% every year. It currently has more than 2,000 operating digital resources and more than 300 audio resources. In the view of editor-in-chief Wu Liangzhu, "Paper books and e-books are complementary and promote each other."

  From hot topics of the times to the return of classics

  "Fragmented reading has indeed affected reading habits. In recent years, collections of medium and short stories and essays have gradually become popular." Wu Liangzhu said, "But as long as it is a high-quality work, whether it is a long and long master's short story, it is positive. For example, Mo Yan's new work "The Late Man", Alai's "Go to the Windy Wild", and Chi Zijian's "Good Time Slides Away" are all very high-quality short stories."

  Reading a book list is also a reflection of exploring the pulse of the times. In the world changes that are accelerating evolution, international politics, economy, science and technology are undoubtedly topics that are concerned by all from academic circles to the public.

  In Mr. Fang's e-reader, Kissinger's "On China" is the bibliography he is reading recently. Recently, he also specially found the book "American Bureaucracy: The Behavior of Government Institutions and Their Motives". According to the editor of CITIC Publishing House, the new book "On America" ​​published in March has also attracted widespread attention recently.

  On April 21, the reporter came to the Beijing Book Building in Xidan. On the "New Book Recommendation" bookshelf, many readers are reading new books on "China's Economy 2025", "New Economic Momentum", "Great Going Over the Sea", "Anchoring China" and artificial intelligence applications.

  The counters such as "The Spiritual Map of the Older Generation Revolutionaries", "Innovation Leads High-Quality Development", and "Inheritance of Classic Works of Famous Masters" are also in a prominent position, attracting readers to stop and read. Staff told reporters that in recent times, there have been more readers who have come to find new quality productivity, low-altitude economy, and artificial intelligence.

  "The Legend of Oppenheimer" published by CITIC Publishing House in August 2023 has maintained a high-profile topic and stable sales as the movie "Oppenheimer" hits the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan. In the eyes of editor Jiang Nan, the story of this "father of the atomic bomb" not only witnesses the past, but also concerns the present, and reminds the future.

  In addition, with the popularity of the movie "Nezha: The Devil Child's Trouble" and the game "Black Myth: Wukong", the books "Nezha's Past in the Three Realms" and "Black Myth: Meet Shanxi" are also at the forefront of the e-commerce rankings.

  In contrast to fast-paced reading, a classic reading craze is setting off on digital platforms. In 2024, on the China Literature platform, famous works such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Journey to the West" ranked among the top ten published books with the fastest growth rate in the year, reflecting the reading needs of contemporary young people for traditional culture and self-growth.

  Coincidentally, sales and reading data from People's Literature Publishing House show that in the past year, serious literary and classic works have been returning strongly. Chi Zijian's "The Right Bank of the Ergun River" and Liang Xiaosheng's "The World" have long been at the forefront of the sales list of e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Dangdang. "Young people are seeking spiritual resonance and value construction through classics," said editor-in-chief Wu Liangzhu.

  At the Beijing Book Market in March this year, the popularity of classic book series brands such as "Watchman" and "Refraction Collection" of Nanjing University Press remained unabated. Qi Wanjun, deputy director of the social media publicity department, believes that "readers are eager to seek new perspectives and new methods to observe the world and understand society. They not only gain knowledge in reading, but also hope to gain profound insights and inspiration into life."

  The current Chinese story is not only read by the whole nation, but also by the global reading.

  As of the end of 2024, China Literature Group has launched 6,800 Chinese online translation works to overseas, covering more than 200 countries and regions, with a total of nearly 300 million visitors from Qidian International. Last year, China Literature has 10 online works collected by the British Library. "Online literature has built a bridge for the international dissemination of Chinese culture." said a relevant person in charge of China Literature Group.

  From reading scenes to cultural landmarks

  With the changes in reading habits, physical reading spaces related to reading are also quietly renewing, transforming into multicultural spaces and cultural landmarks.

  Immersive experience is an irreplaceable core function in physical reading space. At the National Library and National Classics Museum, exhibitions such as "Excellent Traditional Chinese Cultural Classics" and "Memory of Oracle Bone Inscriptions" allow the public to experience the charm of classics traveling through history up close.

  In Beijing City Library, the super high mountain reading area uses a book mountain to display knowledge culmination and digital pictures. Readers can feel the shock of cultural heritage when they look up.

Beijing City Library Reading Area. Photo provided by Beijing City Library

  In the Capital Library, classic scenes of ancient books such as "Compendium of Materia Medica" and "Entertainment of Heavenly Works" are made into naked-eye 3D versions, and readers can directly "touch" three-dimensional images on the smart desktop.

  "As a library in a city, it is very important to support the innovation of this city." Recently, Zhang Jiuzhen, director of the Department of Information Management and professor at Peking University, said in a speech, "In physical space, it can establish a connection between people. We have seen that many middle-aged people are healed in libraries, and some elderly people are more willing to volunteer in libraries and gain a sense of value."

  In addition to libraries, the "bookstore +" business has emerged in recent years, and more and more bookstores have started from the "experience" to create more diverse scenarios.

  "The bookstore is also creating a cultural field and looking for readers who are on the same frequency as themselves." Wu Wei, head of the bookstore business department of Zhonghua Bookstore, said, "A bookstore should become a cultural landmark, not a landmark for taking photos and checking in, but a landmark for deeply exploring the cultural connotation of the city and neighborhood where it is located, and showing cultural heritage and cultural image."

Canran Bookstore, Zhonghua Bookstore. Photo provided by the interviewee

  He introduced that the Canran Bookstore of Zhonghua Bookstore has recently been linked with the Laoshe Memorial Hall in the same neighborhood, and in the form of stamping and checking in, tourists can retake Laos' route from Danshiyuan to Capital Theater to work. According to reports, Canran Bookstore collected a large number of old books related to Lao She for display. A Tianjin reader flipped into the old book "Drum Book Artist" collected by his primary school library. This is a unique emotional link brought to people by the old books, and he immediately collected the book.

  "Creating comfortable reading scenes, holding writer sharing and signing activities, lectures, art salons, theme reading clubs, flash events, etc., and establishing exclusive service communities are all important ways to enhance readers' stickiness." Chen Peng, general manager of PAGEONE Bookstore, introduced that the bookstore holds hundreds of cultural activities every year. He believes that physical bookstores have experience advantages that are not as good as online platforms and digital reading.

  "As a reading space, the bookstore should be a gathering place for high-quality reading resources, a space for multicultural exchanges and collisions, a corner nourished by the urban humanistic spirit, and a home for readers' hearts to live in." Chen Peng said.

  It is worth noting that with the advancement of national reading, many new cultural spaces at "door to home" have quietly grown, forming a distinctive "last mile" cultural service circle.

  Take Guangyang Academy, located in the Guangyang Valley Urban Forest Park in Beijing as an example. This multicultural space hidden in the downtown area, the reading center is one of the most important sections. Social science life and children's books are the most popular, and public welfare picture book classes will also be open every Wednesday to Sunday.

Readers read at Guangyang Academy. Photo provided by the interviewee

  Ni Jiafu, director of operation of Guangyang Academy, believes that under the trend of digital reading, in-depth reading is more necessary, especially for children's reading, offline reading can grow into a lifelong learning method.

  Reading is a "lifelong event" for everyone

  Every year, cultural scholar and special professor of Nanchang Transportation College Zhu Huaxiang will give reading lectures to students. "Digitalization allows the younger generation to find the books they want to read anytime and anywhere, but youth is the norm for students. I hope that by advocating reading, they can move from youth to maturity along the path of reading." Zhu Huaxiang said.

  "Reading has taught me a lot of knowledge." This is the understanding of reading by 5-year-old Jiayu.

  "Reading is the soul running in a masterpiece and seeing the infinite world beyond finite life." said Zhao, a graduate student in journalism at China University of Political Science and Law.

  "In the AI ​​era, we need to read more, maintain the ability to appreciate and think independently, and maintain the determination in the changing world." said Mr. Fang, a media person.

  "You must always be curious about the world when you are alive, right? Reading is the lowest-cost global travel." said Mr. Jiang, a retired professor of medicine at a university in Henan.

  Mao Yajun, director of Capital Library, believes that continuous learning and lifelong learning are becoming increasingly a demand for people today. "A person's spiritual development history should be his reading history; the spiritual realm of a nation should be the reading level of the whole nation." Mao Yajun believes that advocating reading should start from the age of 0 until life.

  On April 21, the National Library announced the 20th Wenjin Books. 20 Wenjin books and 46 Wenjin nominated books, including "The World's Search for Dunhuang", "The Wind Rises: Qian Chengdan Talks about the Rise of a Great Power", "Casting Shields for the Country: The Road to China's Atomic Bomb", "Interesting Ancient Chinese Architecture", and 46 Wenjin nominated books stood out.

  It is worth noting that a total of 685 children's books have been applied for Wenjin books this year, which is a very important part of the General Secretary's Review of the books, reflecting that the book market still attaches great importance to the publication of children's books. Haifei, a representative of the judge, said, "Children's books are the starting point for the next generation of readers. Our mission is to let children start to enjoy reading, fall in love with reading, and benefit from reading in the future."

  On the same day, Himalaya Children's App and Jiangxi Xinhua Distribution Group launched a charity event to create a "AI voice change, parents' clone" service, and use digital technology to build a bridge for left-behind children to read together.

  In May last year, with the hit miniseries of the same name, "My Altay" written by Li Juan was popular nationwide. Popular films and TV series not only allow the original work to reach a wider audience, allowing readers to feel the charm of the work from different angles, but also further amplify the commercial value of high-quality content, thereby inspiring more creators to focus on polishing high-quality products.

  "The model of 'adapting IP to feed back reading' is a supply-side innovation for national reading promotion." A relevant person in charge of China Literature Group said.

  It's not just the supply side that is exerting force. Zhao Buyang, vice president of the School of Humanities, Jinling University of Science and Technology, who has been deeply involved in Nanjing's national reading work, believes that the focus of promoting national reading is to "actively promote the same frequency resonance between writers and readers." He took the poetry reading and enjoyment meeting he participated in as an example, indicating that this kind of collective reading is read on site by readers, and the poets and guests interpret and discuss it, and does not become a formality, so that reading can be more effective.

  In order to promote classic literary works, People's Literature Publishing House invites well-known scholars and experts to give "166 Literature Lectures in the Dingoui Dynasty" every Thursday at 7 p.m. This public welfare column has been held for 12 years. "Reading is the spark that lights the light of human spirit, and promoting national reading is a collective action to protect the spark of civilization." Wu Liangzhu said.

  Since 2014, "National Reading" has been written into the government work report 12 times in a row. From "advocating national reading" to "deeply promoting national reading" to today's "deepening national reading activities", the importance of national reading in the national cultural development strategy has been continuously increasing.

  Reading is not only a "small thing" that concerns personal interests, but also a "big thing" that concerns the development of the entire society.

  (Planning: Lin Ming; Participating in the report: Li Shanshan, Cui Wenwen, Hu Yang, Lin Zhihan)

[Editor in charge: Zhao Wenhan]