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The State Council on Tuesday issued the Regulation on Promoting Nationwide Reading, which will take effect from February 2026. 

For years, "nationwide reading" has been a familiar slogan, appearing in government work reports and public campaigns. Libraries have expanded, reading festivals multiplied, and digital platforms boomed. 

Yet these efforts often relied on administrative initiatives rather than binding rules, leaving gaps in quality, coordination and sustainability. 

By elevating reading promotion to the level of a State Council regulation, China is signaling that reading is no longer just a moral appeal or cultural aspiration, but a public responsibility that requires clear duties, stable support and long-term planning.

At its core, the regulation recognizes reading as a form of public infrastructure for enriching the mind. Electricity and internet access enable economic life; and access to high-quality reading content and services enables intellectual and cultural development. 

The emphasis on improving the supply of high-quality publications, strengthening recommendations of outstanding books, and guiding digital platforms toward healthier content reflects an awareness that not all reading is equal. 

Quantity alone does not guarantee depth. In a market-driven environment where sensationalism and fragmented information often dominate, the government is asserting a role in steering attention toward works with lasting educational and cultural value.

The regulation's focus on digital reading is particularly telling. 

China is already one of the world's largest digital reading markets, with mobile phones as the primary reading device for many people. Acknowledging this reality, the regulation does not pit digital reading against traditional paper books, but  calls for their integration. 

This pragmatic approach avoids nostalgia and instead asks how technology can serve reading rather than erode it. By placing responsibility on digital reading service providers to manage content and foster a healthy environment, the regulation attempts to address growing concerns about algorithm-driven consumption that favors speed and stimulation over reflection.

Equally important is the regulation's attention to inequality in reading access. 

Urban residents, students at well-resourced schools, and digitally savvy users already enjoy abundant reading opportunities. The real challenge lies elsewhere: in rural areas, among the elderly, people with disabilities, and children whose families lack cultural resources. 

By mandating targeted measures such as rural reading plans, accessible facilities, age-appropriate services, and support for vulnerable groups, the regulation frames reading as a matter of social equity. This is not simply about cultivating literary taste, but about ensuring that the benefits of knowledge and cultural participation are shared more evenly.

The support for physical bookstores and public reading spaces also deserves attention. 

In an age of e-commerce and screen-based consumption, book stores have struggled to survive. Yet bookstores are more than retail outlets; they are also community spaces where ideas circulate and conversations begin. Encouraging bookstores to improve reading conditions and host activities reflects an understanding that reading is also a social act. 

The same logic applies to the encouragement of social organizations to participate in providing reading services, from community initiatives to book exchanges. 

However, a vibrant reading culture cannot be built by government alone.

That said, the success of the regulation will depend less on its wording than on its implementation. Promoting reading is inherently complex. It cannot be reduced to campaigns or slogans, nor can it be fully measured by statistics such as the number of books read per year.

Ultimately, the Regulation on Promoting Nationwide Reading reflects a broader recognition that cultural confidence and social resilience are rooted in long-term habits rather than short-term achievements. 

Reading offers a rare space for slow thinking, critical reflection and connection with ideas beyond one's immediate environment. By giving reading a clearer legal and institutional foundation, the quiet act of turning pages, whether paper or digital, can play a meaningful role in shaping future generations. 

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn