Writer Bi Feiyu releases his first podcasts

He initially posted them as wildly popular blogs. People's Literature Publishing House compiled them into the book Fiction Reading that was released in February.

The podcasts, which are under 20 minutes long, feature Bi lecturing while celebrities and news anchors read passages quoted from classic texts over music.

Ximalaya FM and Qingting FM are releasing one podcast every weekday. The entire package of 75 clips costs about 100 yuan ($15).

Each platform will also offer two podcasts that are not from the book.

"This kind of content is new and rare," says Zhang Yan, aka Shu Shu, CEO of Beijing Yousuozuowei Culture and Tech Ltd, one of the programs' producers and planners.

Zhang says she was deeply moved by the book.

She believes Bi's unique analyses and online feedback has enabled the creation of the "perfect" podcast series.

"It's exactly as if Bi's classes have extended beyond the university," she says.

"It's a relatively new market. But readers are increasingly interested in traditional culture."

About one in five adult Chinese listened to audiobooks in 2016, according to the 14th national reading-habits report released by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication in April.

They spend an average of 6.81 yuan a year on online audio content, the report says.