分类： society

China’s journey to cultivate a national reading culture reached a new milestone this week, as the fifth National Conference on Reading opened in Nanchang, the capital of east China’s Jiangxi Province, on Monday. The three-day gathering also formally inaugurates the country’s first-ever National Reading Week, a nationwide initiative designed to embed regular reading into public life and strengthen cultural development across the nation.

Attendees of the conference emphasized that reading forms the foundational bedrock of cultural advancement, and called for scaled-up efforts to popularize reading and build a society that values literary engagement. They underlined that expanding nationwide reading programs is a critical component of China’s broader push to build itself into a leading cultural power. Li Shulei, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote address.

The establishment of National Reading Week follows a national regulation released by the State Council that entered into force on February 1 this year, which formalized the designation of the fourth week of April annually as the national event. The regulation’s core goals are to lift the intellectual, moral, scientific, and cultural standards of the Chinese public, and to boost overall social civility. The inaugural week will feature hundreds of localized events across the country aimed at sparking public enthusiasm for reading.

To align with the launch of National Reading Week, the Nanchang conference has organized a diverse lineup of targeted forums tailored to different demographic groups and sectors, covering topics including youth reading, family and parent-child reading, public library services, rural reading expansion, reading for senior citizens, reading rights protection, and the fast-growing digital reading sector.

One of the standout attractions of this year’s conference is a comprehensive showcase of Jiangxi’s deep-rooted traditional cultural heritage. A major exhibition focused on ancient Chinese academy culture offers visitors an immersive experience, recreating the lively scholarly atmosphere of iconic Jiangxi institutions such as the centuries-old Bailudong Academy, one of the most famous centers of learning in imperial China. Other special cultural activities include an exhibition of classical works from the Jiangxi School of Poetry and the Tengwang Pavilion Book Fair, held at the city’s iconic historic landmark. Ahead of the conference, students dressed in traditional Chinese costumes gathered in front of Tengwang Pavilion to recite *Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng*, the celebrated 7th-century literary classic by Tang Dynasty poet Wang Bo.

Two key industry reports released at the conference reveal encouraging trends in Chinese reading habits. The 23rd National Reading Survey found that 82.3 percent of Chinese adults reported reading regularly in 2025. On average, each adult read 8.39 combined paper and digital books last year, representing a steady increase from 2024 figures. Among minors aged 0 to 17, 86.7 percent engaged in book reading, and 75.9 percent participated in digital reading — both metrics also saw year-on-year growth.

The separate National Digital Reading Report added further context to the sector’s rapid expansion. By the end of 2025, the total number of digital reading works available in China hit 70.5592 million, an 11.87 percent increase from 2024, pointing to a robust and growing supply of digital content. Exports of Chinese digital content also saw strong growth, with the total number of digital works released overseas — including translated Chinese works, original foreign-language content from Chinese creators, and exported e-books — reaching 949,200, a 17.42 percent rise year-on-year. The total number of digital reading users in China reached 689 million in 2025, marking a 2.95 percent annual increase.

The conference also brought together prominent figures from across the cultural and literary sectors to share their perspectives on reading. At a special event focused on “red classic” literature organized by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, veteran pingshu (Chinese traditional storytelling) performing artist Liu Lanfang, who has 67 years of experience in the art form, shared her lifelong love of reading. Even now, Liu spends several hours daily reading on her mobile device, and noted, “One should always read. Reading expands knowledge, and that’s how people can keep improving.”

At a separate children’s book sharing event held alongside the conference, popular children’s storyteller Wang Kai, widely known as Uncle Kai, highlighted the unique importance of reading for young people growing up in the age of artificial intelligence. “In the AI era, we need a broader perspective on reading,” Wang said. “Children need a solid foundation of common knowledge, and the best way to gain that is through reading.”

The rolling hills of southern China came alive with polyphonic folk melodies this weekend, as the centuries-old Dawuliang Singing Festival kicked off in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Huaihua, Hunan Province. The annual cultural gathering drew participants from multiple ethnic groups across the adjacent border regions of Hunan, Guizhou Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, turning the remote county into a vibrant hub of cross-ethnic cultural exchange.

Rooted in Dong ethnic heritage, the festival carries a 300-year history tied to a legendary tragic love story from the Dong community. What began as a small, community-centered observance of that tale has gradually transformed over generations into a beloved annual celebration that welcomes ethnic groups beyond the Dong people, including Miao, Yao and Zhuang communities.

Today, the festival serves multiple purposes: it is a space for young people from across regional ethnic groups to gather, sing traditional folk songs, build social connections, and pass down intergenerational cultural heritage to younger generations. For local communities, the event remains a cornerstone of ethnic identity, keeping centuries-old oral traditions and musical customs alive amid rapid modern change, while fostering solidarity among diverse ethnic groups in southern China.

In a targeted move to rein in the misuse of controlled pharmaceutical substances, Chinese authorities announced sweeping new regulatory measures for two high-risk addictive drugs on Monday, April 20, 2026. The updated rules, jointly issued by the National Medical Products Administration, the Ministry of Public Security, and the National Narcotics Control Commission, apply to oral pregabalin and all compound medications containing guaifenesin, establishing end-to-end oversight across every segment of the two products’ industrial supply chains.

Starting with the source of production, provincial drug regulatory bodies are now mandated to enforce rigid production quotas for the two substances, a policy designed to cut off excess supply that could be diverted for illicit abuse. Digital sales channels face an outright ban: the circular explicitly prohibits online retail of these medications, as well as any unlicensed offline sales through unapproved vendors.

For brick-and-mortar retail pharmacies, a series of strict operating requirements have been put in place to secure access to the drugs. All eligible stocks must be stored in locked, designated cabinets managed by specially assigned staff, and dispensing can only proceed when a customer presents a valid, official medical prescription. Pharmacies are required to log full, detailed transaction records covering every sale, including the drug’s name, dosage specifications, total quantity sold, manufacturer information, batch number, purchase date, and the buyer’s full name and government-issued identification number. All prescriptions must also be retained on file for regulatory inspection.

For formulations that were previously available over the counter, the new rules cap single-transaction sales at a maximum of five minimum packaging units to reduce the risk of bulk diversion. Sales to any minor are strictly prohibited under all circumstances. If pharmacy staff or licensed pharmacists identify suspicious purchasing behavior—such as repeated bulk purchases or inconsistent prescription documentation—they are required to immediately deny the sale and report the incident to local law enforcement and drug regulators.

To boost oversight transparency and responsiveness, the circular also mandates the rollout of a full-chain digital traceability system that tracks every unit of the two medications from factory to end consumer. This system will be paired with expanded drug abuse monitoring and early warning infrastructure across all levels of regulation. Provincial regulators are required to add oral pregabalin and guaifenesin-containing compounds to their priority drug abuse monitoring rosters, and any emerging signs of clustered, regionally concentrated abuse or growing misuse trends must be investigated immediately and reported to the national drug regulator for coordinated response.

A high-level national forum focused on reconciling robust copyright protection with expanded accessible reading services kicked off Monday in Nanchang, the capital of east China’s Jiangxi Province. The convening brought together policymakers, disability advocacy leaders and cultural officials to advance a core goal: making reading rights more inclusive for marginalized groups and lifting the quality of China’s nationwide public reading initiatives.Organized jointly by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, the forum framed the protection of reading access for people with disabilities as a foundational pillar of China’s people-centered development approach. Beyond advancing cultural inclusion, attendees emphasized that guaranteeing equal reading access is a critical step toward upholding broader societal fairness and justice.A key highlight of the discussions was the landmark national regulation on promoting public reading, which entered into force across China in February 2026. The policy centers on closing gaps in reading resources across different population groups, prioritizing the protection of reading rights for vulnerable key demographics, and includes explicit, targeted provisions to expand accessible formats and uphold reading access for people with disabilities.As authorities work to build out a comprehensive national accessible reading ecosystem aligned with the new regulation, forum participants called for scaled-up investment in technology-driven copyright management. Leveraging digital innovation to both strengthen copyright protection and streamline authorized access to accessible reading materials, they argue, will allow service providers to deliver far more convenient, affordable reading options for people with disabilities.In addition to domestic policy and infrastructure priorities, forum organizers also committed to deepening international exchanges and cooperation on accessible reading initiatives. The move is designed to share China’s progress in advancing cultural inclusion and collaborative problem-solving on equitable access to information with the global community.

As digital reading continues to gain widespread traction across China, new national survey data reveals a steady uptick in overall reading rates among Chinese adult citizens, marking further progress in the country’s push to build a nation of avid readers.

The 2025 survey, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, was publicly announced at the fifth National Reading Conference hosted in Nanchang, the capital of east China’s Jiangxi province, on Monday. Data shows the comprehensive reading rate for Chinese adults reached 82.3 percent last year, a 0.2 percentage point increase from 2024. This marginal but consistent growth reflects the tangible outcomes of China’s long-running initiatives to promote reading across all segments of society.

Beyond rising overall reading rates, the survey offers a detailed snapshot of evolving reading habits among the Chinese public. In 2025, the combined per capita reading volume for both print paper books and electronic books hit 8.39 copies per person, while the total number of digital reading works available to Chinese readers surpassed 70 million distinct titles. Around 80.8 percent of adult respondents reported that they regularly engage in digital reading, confirming the format’s dominant position in the modern reading landscape.

The survey also highlights growing interest in supplementary reading formats: the share of adults who consume audiobooks rose 0.2 percentage points year-on-year to 38.7 percent in 2025, while the proportion of adults who watch video book reviews jumped 0.6 percentage points to 6.3 percent.

Surging consumer demand for digital reading content has driven rapid expansion of the domestic market. Over the past five years, China’s mass market for digital reading nearly doubled in size, swelling from 30.25 billion yuan (approximately 4.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020 to 59.48 billion yuan in 2025.

Despite the digital boom, print books have retained significant loyal support among Chinese readers. The survey found that 45.9 percent of adults still prefer physical books over all digital formats, with literary works ranking as the most popular reading category overall.

This dual preference reveals that while Chinese readers embrace the convenience of on-the-go digital access, their demand for immersive deep thinking, structured systematic learning, and meaningful spiritual nourishment through reading has not faded in the digital era.

Wu Shulin, chairman of the Publishers Association of China, noted that even amid widespread digital adoption, deep focused reading remains the core foundation for individual personal growth, long-term career achievement, and ethical cultivation. He called for enhanced public guidance to improve the quality of digital reading and broader efforts to nurture a culture of deep reading, encouraging readers to move beyond superficial fragmented browsing and engage with more in-depth content.

For many modern travelers, navigating China’s extensive rail network can come with small, unexpected frustrations — from confusing transfer routes to uncertainty about what to expect on different types of train services. But one working rail professional is turning her on-the-job expertise into accessible, helpful content for millions of ordinary people, one short video at a time.

At 32 years old, Li Xin holds the position of head conductor on the high-speed rail route connecting Jilin City in northeast China and Shanghai, one of the country’s busiest economic hubs. Outside of her full-time responsibilities on the train, Li has built a growing following on the Chinese short-video platform Douyin under the screen name “Tie Xinran”, where she shares insider knowledge about all things rail travel.

One of Li’s most popular pieces of content, a video exploring China’s classic “green skin” conventional trains — a nostalgic and still widely used service that predates the high-speed rail era — has racked up more than 100,000 likes from viewers across the platform. Li fits video editing and content creation into her schedule during work breaks, treating the project as a fun, rewarding hobby that lets her connect with passengers beyond her daily shifts.

What started as a side project has already made a tangible difference for many travelers. Li often gets recognized by passengers during her work, who tell her that her practical transfer guide videos helped them plan smoother, less stressful trips. For Li, the project is far more than a personal pastime: she plans to keep growing her channel as an “online conductor”, committed to adding both practical convenience and a little extra joy to people’s travel journeys through her unique, insider perspective.