China launches reading week
- China launched its first national reading week as part of a push to build a 'book‑loving' society. (english.news.cn) - In the U.S., Reading, Pennsylvania is hosting an outdoor book fair with author talks and hands‑on activities. (bctv.org) - The simultaneous national and local events show reading initiatives are getting both top‑down and community momentum. (english.news.cn)
China opened its first national reading week on Monday, turning a long-running literacy campaign into a week of state-backed events across the country. (english.news.cn) The launch came with the fifth National Conference on Reading in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi province. Xinhua said Li Shulei, head of the Communist Party’s publicity department, attended and announced the start of this year’s reading week. (english.news.cn) The reading week runs from April 20 to April 26, with lectures, book fairs, salons and book donations scheduled nationwide. Chinese authorities said the 2026 campaign theme is “promoting nationwide reading together, building a book-loving society together.” (news.cn) The new week is tied to a regulation that took effect on February 1, 2026. That rule formally set the fourth week of April as National Reading Week and told governments to improve reading facilities, services and access. (english.news.cn) China’s push is aimed at making reading a routine public service, not just a one-day cultural slogan around World Book Day on April 23. China Daily said the regulation also calls for longer library hours, better-equipped reading rooms, and more systematic funding and planning. (chinadaily.com.cn) The campaign is also unfolding as digital reading expands in China. Xinhua reported on April 20 that access to books and overall reading rates have grown alongside phone-based and online reading, even as officials say more work is needed on accessibility and service quality. (english.news.cn) That national effort is landing at the same time as smaller U.S. events built around the same idea. Berks Community Television in Pennsylvania reported in March that schools and libraries across the state were marking Read Across America Week with special reading events for children. (bctv.org) In Reading, Pennsylvania, local organizers are also using book fairs and public programming to pull readers into shared spaces rather than private screens. The contrast is scale, not direction: in China the push is national policy, and in places like Reading it is civic programming built around libraries, schools and community media. (english.news.cn)
