A reading nation

Many readers are still attached to printed books although online reading is becoming increasingly popular in China.[Photo by Li Zongyin/China Daily]

Tomorrow's World Book Day has inspired a slew of literary events throughout the capital. Xing Yi and Liu Zhihua report.

As World Book Day, April 23, approaches, various reading events are being held by government agencies, libraries and bookstores throughout the capital.

At the launch of the 5th Beijing Reading Season in Great Canal Park in Tongzhou district on Saturday night, 81-year-old Yin Zhiguang, head of Beijing Elocution Troupe, led the audience in reciting a poem.

"Books are the lamps lighting the road ahead. Books are the bridges connecting the lands apart," the audience, made up of adults and children, recited in unison.

"Chinese people love reading. It is a tradition that goes back thousands of years," says Sun Shoushan, deputy director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

"The government puts great emphasis on encouraging a love of reading among people and has included a policy to promote reading in the government's work report since 2014."

From April to July, events such as book talks by famous writers, reading competitions, online reading activities and recitals of classic books are being held in Beijing. Similar reading festivals are also happening in other provinces, including Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangshu.

Activities focusing on different readerships will highlight World Book Day in bookstores throughout Beijing, such as picture book sharing for children in Xidan Book Building, conversations with musicians and authors for young people in Sanlian Bookstore, talks with diplomats for people interested in international affairs in Wangfujing Xinhua bookstore, and a 12-hour late-night reading marathon for night owls at One-Way Space bookstore.

The National Library of China will announce winners of the 10th Wenjin Book Award, China's highest book award, on World Book Day. The judging panel is made up of top librarians from across the country. They will select the 10 best books from 1,400 titles, and there will be an exhibition of all the winning books of the past decade.