Global Times: Why is legislation needed for reading in China?

BEIJING, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A reader of people.com.cn recently asked: February 1 marked the official implementation of the Regulations on Promoting National Reading. Reading books and newspapers is largely a matter of personal interest, so why does the country need to enact a dedicated law on the issue?

In fact, legislating for reading is not about mandating what people must read or how much they must read. Its core lies in "promotion" and "protection."

The prosperity of culture, the strength of the nation and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation all hinge on the cultural accumulation and spiritual strength fostered by reading. At present, as we advance the cause of building a great modern socialist country in all respects and achieving national rejuvenation, we need to give full play to the fundamental role of reading more than ever.

Against this backdrop, the regulations have emerged as the times require. Their formulation was by no means an overnight achievement. As early as 2013, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference proposed legislating for national reading at the national level. 

Over the years, "national reading" has been written into the Government Work Report for 12 consecutive years, and the "development of a scholarly society" has been included in the draft recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), a testament to the great attention the Communist Party of China and the government have paid to this cause.

After years of exploration and practice, this long-cherished expectation has finally been realized, erecting a legal safeguard for the sustained and in-depth promotion of national reading.

China is not the first country to legislate for reading. Around the world, some countries elevated national reading to the level of public policy through national legislation or strategic planning in the late 20th century or early 21st century. China's legislative process, however, has taken deep root in its own cultural soil while drawing on international experience.

The Chinese nation has always held reading in high esteem, and ancient maxims such as "Cultivate virtue through farming and reading" and "Pass down the legacy of poetry and books across generations" have been handed down to this day. 

This unique cultural gene is also reflected in every line of this legislation. For example, the regulations place special emphasis on the role of "teaching by words and deeds," translating the fine traditional Chinese culture that has endured for thousands of years into institutional care.

In addition, the National Reading Congress has been held for four consecutive sessions, and reading seasons, book clubs and other activities are held regularly across the country. East China's Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province and other provinces have also long attempted to formulate local regulations on reading, accumulating valuable experience.

The regulations consolidate the consensus formed by the whole society, together with effective practical experience, into more universal and enduring rules, which can guide the resolution of some existing problems in reading.

There are several such phenomena: the reading rate of rural residents is relatively low and their reading scope is narrow; the number of braille books accessible to visually impaired people is still limited, and the elderly find it strenuous to read printed books; digital reading platforms host an ocean of content, yet screening in-depth and valuable reading materials is sometimes like looking for a needle in a haystack.

These practical problems can hardly be solved by personal enthusiasm and perseverance alone. Legislation is precisely about providing institutional support for the reading ecosystem of society as a whole.

It clarifies the statutory responsibilities of governments at all levels in promoting national reading, endowing reading with a tangible legal basis in terms of organizational leadership, funding support, and the construction of reading facilities;

It aligns with the trend of technological development, supporting the integration of digital reading and traditional reading, and promoting the supply of high-quality digital reading content;

It pays special attention to the reading protection of minors, people with disabilities, the elderly and other groups, stipulating measures such as providing suitable reading materials, offering reading courses, supporting the construction of barrier-free facilities for national reading, and optimizing elderly-friendly service standards...

All these provisions ultimately aim to encourage everyone to read more and read better, ensuring that anyone who wants to read can fairly enjoy the joy of resonating with wisdom.

Some may ask: Is it worthwhile to invest such great efforts in promoting reading?

The answer is a resounding yes. For the development of a country, the depth of thinking, innovation capacity and cultural accomplishment of its people are crucial. These seemingly "soft" qualities are key factors that determine how far it can go in the future. In the final analysis, legislating for reading is more like a strategic investment in building up the nation's intellectual capital for the future.

It is foreseeable that with the solid implementation of the regulations, comprehensive reading facilities will spread across urban and rural areas, and a diverse range of reading activities will run through daily life. 

When a love of reading, the habit of reading good books and the ability to read well truly weave into the fabric of society and become the shared consciousness and norm of generations, a "scholarly society" will surely become an important cultural hallmark of China in the new era.

SOURCE Global Times