Recently, Chinaís lawmakers are mulling over a regulation to promote reading among the public. The General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television said it planned to submit the first draft to the State Council, the cabinet, for approval by the end of the year.

The legislation, which has been in the pipeline since the countryís sessions of National Peopleís Congress and National Committee of the Chinese Peopleís Political Consultative Conference in March of this year, is motivated by new research showing that Chinese people read fewer books than people in many other countries.

According to a national survey conducted by Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, among the Chinese people between the ages of 18 and 70, each read 6.7 books on average in 2012, including paper books and e-books, an increase of about one book compared with 2011, but still lagging in comparison to the 15 books per year, per person read by Americans.

As the legislation plan was revealed, it sparked heated discussion. Supporters believe the law will be an institutional guarantee to peopleís right to read and will invigorate Chinese peopleís weakening appetite for reading. Skeptics argue that reading is personal and should not be interfered with by law. They say that other measures besides legislation should be taken to boost reading - like reducing studentsí study load, regulating the publishing market and creating a more conducive environment for young writers.

Pro

Ye Zhuyi

Beijing Morning Post

On one hand, the overall national reading rate remains low; on the other, more people are becoming interested in reading on the web. With the progress of electronic technology, traditional ways of reading are being gradually abandoned. More importantly, in modern society, people are living fast-paced and busy lives, with reading becoming a kind of “luxury.” While entertainment and leisure magazines are extremely popular, traditional publications are no longer well received. People read books more flippantly. With the increase of soap operas and other TV shows, fewer and fewer people are attached to reading. Although electronic media helps spread information, it still defers to the traditional practice of reading.

To encourage nationwide literacy, a law could indeed be useful, but what is even more important is fostering the proper environment allowing people the time to indulge in books. For example, schools should create encouraging atmospheres for reading and allow students to fall in love with books. Eventually this will spread to the greater society. Furthermore, it’s important to set up more libraries. At some existing facilities, most books are old, procedures outdated and borrowing fees unreasonable. CA

Con

Chen Mengxi

Beijing Evening News

It is necessary to boost the reading culture in a society where people are obsessed with making money. But it is not the responsibility of legislation.

Frankly speaking, the prime reason for this legislation is the low ranking of Chinese people’s reading rate in the world, 93rd in 2012. If we look at the top 20 countries where nationals are avid readers, it can be discovered that the reading rate seems to have a close relation with the nation’s economic development. The urgency of surviving outweighs that of reading. For a nation with unbalanced development and high illiteracy rate, reading is a kind of luxury. Encouraging the whole nation to read more under such circumstances by legislation is not wise.

Even if there is no need to worry that the legislation may interfere with personal choice, the effectiveness of it is questionable. To promote the reading culture, the government should provide more supports to the publishing industry and give people who cannot afford to read access to books of good quality besides building more libraries. CA

Pro

Peng Huifu

Teacher in Chongqing

I think ensuring reading by law is a good move to strengthen the nation’s soft power. Reading books is vital to an individual’s progress, a people’s qualification, and then to a nation’s prosperity. A nation is promising when its people have a strong thirst for books. A lack of reading could damage the advancement of an innovative culture or civilization. In this sense, reading is not a personal business but concerns the future of the country. Actually, many countries have upgraded citizen’s reading rate to a strategic level through administrative and legal means. China should do so as well. CA

Con

Peng Kefeng

China Science Daily

China is a nation boasting a long history of 5,000 years and valuing scholarly pursuits. Its cultural prosperity in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties was widely recognized across the world. But why have modern Chinese abandoned their long-held reading habit? It is complicated. In modern society, people are so squeezed by work that they cannot afford the time and energy to read. People are used to reading scattered information on the Internet and lose patience while reading longer works. Adolescents struggle through exam-oriented education with every bit of their spare time occupied by homework or supplementary after-school classes. There are also few influential books worthy of reading. In view of this dilemma, an encouraging law alone could not solve all of the problems.

The legislation attaches much attention on improving reading facilities by setting up more libraries and reading rooms in cities, rural areas and schools, but overlooks the importance of guiding the public to read qualified books. The law becomes defective because of this. For instance, if there were still no influential and fascinating masterpieces, the public would show no interest in reading, no matter what amount of funding the government offered schools and rural areas to purchase reading materials.  

To encourage people to read, more measurements should be taken besides the legislation. Otherwise, the law is merely a dead letter. CA

Pro

Wang Yong

College student  

As more and more Chinese abandon the habit of reading, I think it is necessary to promote it through legislation.

To individuals, the law is mainly a call and stimulation to help them understand that reading is conducive to personal growth. With the call, the public will voluntarily pick up reading as a habit, even a hobby.

For the government, schools and other public institutions, the law will force them to perform respective obligations in creating a conducive environment for reading, like offering more funds and supporting the publishing market. CA

Pro

Duan Siping

Media commentator

People who questioned this legislation mistakenly regard it as a binding regulation. But actually, it only aims at boosting the reading culture. As stimulative legislation, it focuses more on the government’s responsibility on guaranteeing people’s right to read. As is stated in the proposed law, the government should offer more funds to construct public libraries and provide more qualified books to the public to create a sound reading culture.

The legislation is not restricting personal choice but defining and highlighting the government’s responsibility. It will not deprive people’s freedom to choose what books to read, or force anyone to read. CA

Con

Zhang He

People’s Daily

Although the law mainly defines the government’s responsibility and obligation in constructing more libraries and offering more funds, and doesn’t force citizens to read, I doubt it will be an effective practice.

The habit of reading should be formed from childhood, when school education is the most effective way to do so. However, the current exam-oriented education system reigns in China. Teachers and parents don’t allow children to read extra-curricular books, afraid they’ll lose focus on core study subjects. This destroys their desire and curiosity for reading. The planned legislation might not be so effective unless it can change this situation. But no sign of change can be found in the regulation according to reports.

The low reading rate of the Chinese people can be blamed on many reasons, and a lack of government support is not the primary one. In fact, local governments have been increasing investment and improving public facilities to encourage people to read. But many libraries simply lack visitors. Personally, I once witnessed boxes of donated books lying on the floor in a modern cultural center while the reading room was completely empty. 

All in all, reading is a personal habit. If it is listed at the bottom of people’s agenda, their appetite for reading will never be aroused no matter how hard the government tries to promote it. So do not place too much hope in this legislation. Many more measurements are needed to promote the habit of reading among the public. Legislation alone is not enough. CA