BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Thursday's World Book Day is being celebrated in China not just for a day but over an entire week this year, as a new national "reading week" initiative points to changing reading habits and growing enthusiasm for books.

For many Chinese readers, the inaugural "reading week," designated for the fourth week of April, has become a moment to pick up a book, in print or digital form, and set personal reading goals for the year ahead. Across the country, book fairs, sales promotions, author-reader meetups and neighborhood reading events are drawing crowds, turning the initiative into a nationwide celebration of reading.

"Extending reading promotion from one day to a full week is not merely a matter of time, but an institutional upgrade of the national reading strategy," said Feng Shixin, president of the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication.

This policy push comes as reading indicators across the country continue to improve.

Between 2012 and 2024, China's adult reading rate rose from 76.3 percent to 82.1 percent. By 2025, it had edged up further to 82.3 percent.

Much of this growth is being driven by digital reading and a diverse range of reading events. Together, they are fueling a genuine reading renaissance.

President Xi Jinping has on many occasions shared his own reading experiences, encouraging broader public participation in reading and calling for a culture in which people read widely, choose quality books and know how to read effectively.

"Reading can inspire the mind, help people form lofty ideals, and foster a strong sense of integrity," Xi said.

Chinese people have a long tradition of reading. In the centuries before the advent of modern times, education and examinations were the main pathways for individuals to enter officialdom, making learning central to social mobility and public life. That legacy endures today, even as the ways people read, and what they read, have evolved significantly with the times.

DIGITAL READING BOOM

On a crowded Beijing subway carriage at rush hour, heads are tilted downward toward glowing screens, while buds for listening are nestled in many ears. Some are scrolling, some are tapping, but a growing number are reading or listening to books. This is digital reading at work: it fits perfectly into fragmented time -- commutes, waiting lines, the lull before sleep.

Data show that some 80.8 percent of adults now read digitally, whether through e-books, online literature or audiobooks. By the end of 2025, China's digital reading user base had reached 689 million.

Behind this massive digital readership lies a supply-side boom. China's digital titles have surpassed 70 million, putting an ocean of content at readers' fingertips.

What has changed is not just the sheer volume, but how it reaches readers. From web novels and paid knowledge to audiobooks and short video summaries, digital offerings have become not only vast, but are everywhere. In a sense, readers no longer go hunting for books. Instead, content finds them. And this shift, observers say, has pushed up reading rates noticeably.

Online literature, a favorite among Chinese readers, has improved in quality. Once dismissed as amateur writing, it has now earned its place in what insiders call mainstream literature, with multiple works shortlisted for national literary awards, attracting an ever-growing audience.

Another draw for digital readers is interactivity, something traditional paper books simply cannot offer. According to a digital reading user surnamed Li, this very feature has boosted her sense of engagement and made reading more enjoyable.

"I really like the AI book recommendation function," she said. "It helps me quickly find content I'm interested in from millions of titles. I can also interact with the platform, give feedback and check other readers' comments."

All of this has translated into striking commercial momentum. The market size of digital reading has nearly doubled over the past five years, growing from 30.25 billion yuan (about 4.4 billion U.S. dollars) to 59.48 billion yuan.

Despite the digital reading boom, traditional reading remains resilient, with 45.9 percent of adults still preferring printed books, especially for immersive, long-form reading, according to official data.

MORE THAN A WEEK

China has been striving to build a book-loving society. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for national economic and social development stated that the country will further promote nationwide reading to develop China into a nation of avid readers.

Throughout the national reading week, a variety of activities ranging from book fairs and lectures to salons and book donation programs will unfold across the country. Such book-related events are not limited to this week, but instead are common activities all year round.

These innovative reading endeavors have given a strong boost to the promotion of nationwide reading.

In major cities, reading events such as book fairs and reading months have turned into annual celebrations for book lovers. In the countryside, meanwhile, initiatives like the farmers' reading festivals have brought new intellectual and cultural nourishment to rural communities.

And then there are also the newer arrivals. The metro reading season and the bus reading festival, two of the most creative additions to China's reading calendar, have turned daily commutes into unexpected opportunities for literary discovery.

In the past, readers cared about whether reading resources were available and sufficient. Today, they care about whether they are good and interesting.

Today's readers, observers say, show a clear trend towards fragmentation: different ages, genders, professions and social classes have very different tastes.

The internet offers a window into this new landscape. There are now countless reading-themed discussion groups covering every imaginable theme.

Recent national reading surveys have found that more than 70 percent of those interviewed would like to see more nationwide reading activities. For readers, these events offer not just discounted books, but a chance to talk with authors and share ideas with fellow enthusiasts.

The shift from World Book Day to a full national reading week is not merely an extension of time. It is a deliberate effort to boost the reach of reading campaigns, enhance the reader experience and encourage more people to read.

"Ideally, reading should become as indispensable as eating and sleeping," says an article of the People's Daily. ■