China will formally codify the promotion of reading into national law from 1 February. The State Council approved the new regulation, aimed at strengthening public access to books and libraries, last month.
The regulation mandates longer opening hours for public libraries, improved reading facilities, and more systematic government funding and planning, China Daily reports. It also designates the fourth week of April as National Reading Week, thereby turning World Book Day (23 April) into a longer, nation-wide campaign.
The move marks China’s first national legislation dedicated specifically to public reading. Officials and experts have described it as a shift toward treating reading as part of the country’s core public cultural infrastructure, according to the Daily.
Chen Mingliang, founder of the Beijing-based Bright World Reading Club, said that the “pivotal” enactment “underscores the nation’s resolve to enhance the intellectual, moral and cultural well-being of its citizens.”
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Comprising six chapters and 45 articles, the regulation sets out a coordinated framework for promoting reading under government leadership, with participation from publishers, libraries, bookstores and social organisations. It establishes standards for reading facilities, resource allocation and promotional activities.
It also addresses long-standing challenges, including uneven access to reading resources between urban and rural areas and disparities in digital reading services. It mandates targeted support for minors, the elderly, people with disabilities and residents of less-developed regions, including rural and border areas.
The regulation builds on provincial-level legislation that promotes reading, which started with Jiangsu province in 2014. The first national-level push came in 2016.
According to official data cited by the Daily, China’s “reading rate” reached 82.1 percent in 2024 – up from 51.7 percent in 2004. The country is home to more than 3,200 public libraries and over 100,000 physical bookstores.
