China has officially launched its annual national reading week, kicking off the 2026 initiative during the fifth National Conference on Reading held Monday in Nanchang, the capital city of East China’s Jiangxi province.
Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee’s Publicity Department, was in attendance at the opening event and delivered a keynote address to assembled participants.
Event attendees united in a call for amplified action to popularize reading among all segments of the Chinese public and cultivate a pervasive, society-wide culture of regular reading. Stressing that reading forms the most foundational pillar of cultural advancement, participants emphasized that nationwide reading programs must be fully leveraged to support China’s broader national strategy to build itself into a leading global culture power.
In addition to promoting public engagement with reading, attendees called for strengthened investment, development and regulatory oversight of public reading infrastructure, including libraries, community reading spaces and other public resources that make accessible reading materials available to all citizens.
Running this week from Monday through Sunday, the 2026 National Reading Week will feature a diverse lineup of community and national events designed to reignite public passion for reading, spanning book fairs, author talks, reading clubs and youth engagement programs that reach across urban and rural communities to encourage people of all ages to pick up books and build regular reading habits.