Where reading is valued, books compete with internet

Retirement means different things to different people - an overseas trip or two with a spouse, or just daily gatherings and relaxation with former co-workers or relatives.

But for Zeng Beihai, 68, retirement means reading. "Every Thursday, our group comes here," he said, gesturing around the library reading room in which he was standing.

"We sit down together and share our thoughts from what we read from books we borrowed in the past week," he said. Topics range from hot issues in China to global news, neighborhood living and how to educate the young, which often means grandchildren.

"Suzhou has a deep tradition," he said, "so deep that it's in the blood of its people. In following our city's cultural pulse, I experience a great joy."

The library in Suzhou is humble by comparison with the Suzhou Museum, which was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei. But the building that houses it is roughly in the same general style, having been converted from a long-abandoned small temple.

The building's doorway is currently leased to a self-employed craftsman and artist who produces bamboo-and-paper fans, along with paintings and calligraphy. Its main hall is now the public library reading room, with some seats and tables in the center and shelves on both sides.

The backyard is connected, in traditional style typical of the city, by a roofed corridor sided by a few decorative plants.

The back hall also belongs to the city's public cultural service, and is packed by retirees in afternoons as they attend their daily pingtan performance. For one-time attendees, admission is 20 yuan for a three-hour session, along with a cup of fresh green tea.

The main hall is where Zeng and other members of his small group hold their weekly book club meetings. There are more than a dozen such groups in the Pingjiang Road community, a librarian said.

From the extensive system of the Suzhou Library - there are 70 branches - residents borrowed nearly 5 million books in 2015, according to Yang Liqing, head of the Gusu district branch.

In that district alone, the number of borrowed books rose from 870,000 in 2014 to 955,000 in 2015, she said.

Elderly people tend to frequent their local library on weekdays, while younger people, especially office employees, tend to show up in large numbers on weekends and are likely to borrow books on financial investment, cooking or raising children.

Young people also come to the library to prepare for their English proficiency and civil service tests.

This is where old-fashioned bound books and the reading of printed pages can compete with smartphones and e-books, which Yang attributes mainly to the city's local tradition of education, as did Zeng.

Suzhou people just seem to love books. Despite the popularity of mobile electronics, opening up one's own bookstore someday remains the ideal of many young people in the city, Yang said.

Also, the library has a customer-friendly service that makes it easy for readers to connect: online book reservations with easy pickup and return of the physical books at the nearest library branch. Anyone in the city can borrow up to 10 books at a time using a residential card and keep them for up to 50 days free of charge.

The library manages the delivery of reserved books to the designated branch, and book borrowers can return the books at self-service machines in any branch.

The government provides generous financial backing, as well as resources for community events and other incentives, said Zhu Genrong, cultural service head in the Pingjiang Road community.

For example, it organizes community reading festivals and other activities, partnering with private reading clubs, bookstores and independent libraries, he said.

wangzhenghua@chinadaily.com.cn