It's become conventional wisdom. "Hong Kong people don't read." Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) Book Club published the results of a telephone survey in July. The finds revealed the average person read an average of two books over the last six months, and about four a year. In Korea the average is 11, in Japan 8.5, said Hao Zhensheng, head of the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, in an interview earlier this year. More than half the people in the Hong Kong survey hadn't read a book in the previous six months.

Lau Tin-chi, a veteran commentator and local cultural figure, thinks there are two reasons. It would be incorrect to say Hong Kong people never read, said Lau. But they read entertainment industry gossip and articles providing answers to practical concerns.

Practical reading

So Keng-chit, owner of Sun Ar Bookstore, expressed the same feeling. "What's the meaning of reading in Hong Kong when it's so simple to earn money?!" So asks with an explanation point - his gentle manner and soft tone of voice suddenly abandoned. "And some so-called upper class people I know are even proud of never reading. The unspoken words are, 'So what? I have money!'"

"The topics that students read most in newspapers and on the computer are similar, namely "Entertainment", "Daily living" and "Computer, information technology". The types of books that students read most are "Stories", "Jokes/humor", "Fairy tales" and "Comics". It is apparent that the types of books that students favor are for entertainment and leisure rather than for intellectual enhancement," said Hong Kong's Education Department in a 2001 survey titled, "Survey on the Reading Habits of Students in Hong Kong".

"People's personal spaces are limited. At home the whole family may be squeezed into one room," Lau said. "How can you develop the reading habit if you want to read and your mother wants to watch TV?"

"The city is just too commercial," he continued. "People may feel there is not much need to read books. A city can be a commercial city, but doesn't have to be this commercial," Lau said, shaking his head. "London is a financial city, but it's a cultural city as well. If you go there you will find out."

"But Hong Kong, I can say, is even worse than Guangzhou in terms of reading and culture," he took a sip of tea and pursed his lips.

"If you say Hong Kong's atmosphere is worse than other places, you should see the unique problem," So remarked. "Fast-paced life, high pressure, vigorous entertainment and exam-oriented education. Those are problems shared by many other developed cities, especially across East Asia. However, they all have better reading habits. So I think those are not the causes."

"I think the fundamental reason is that due to the colonial legacy, Hong Kong's language of instruction in schools is not the same language used in society," So said. "People take courses in English while they communicate in Chinese."

The inconsistency made English books irrelevant to the daily lives of Hong Kong people. Chinese books, on the other hand, were hard to understand as the same subjects were learned in English back in school. As time passed the desire to read books eventually became null, So observed.

New trend

There may be hope, after all. Daniel Lee, a young graduate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, opened a second-hand bookstore called "The Coming Society".

It's different from the traditional second-hand bookstore. The interior design and arrangement is completely different. Book shelves are around the perimeter, and around groupings of benches and chairs set in such a way as to promote discussion among readers. The shop organizes the discussion groups - one on Marxism not long ago, the relationship between Hong Kong and the mainland, and to the rest of the world.

"One day a friend of mine said to me it's not wise to open a bookstore and losing money. I stood on the sidewalk looking at cars passing by and pointed to him: Look, people buy cars to please themselves, and the cost is nearly the same as a second-hand bookstore. You just pretend to think I've bought a car, and everything is ok," Lee said with a smile.

New media may be the next solution. The Coming Society's Facebook page now already has 5,049 likes. And they update every "what happened" on the page and their Wordpress home page. And it's the major source to attract readers to come over and join their discussions and other activities.

Zhan Meijing contributed to the story

Contact the writer at luisliu@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 09/27/2013 page4)