Shanghai Celebrates First National Reading Week

​Children participate in a reading promotion event at Zhujiajiao Ancient Town in Shanghai. [Photo/Qingpu Library]

Various reading-related activities are being held across Shanghai to mark China's first National Reading Week.

The week-long celebration, running from April 20 to 26, spans 16 districts in the city and aims to promote reading among the public.

On April 23, World Book Day, Shanghai Library hosted its annual "Library Night", creating an immersive reading space featuring interactive storytelling, puzzle-solving, and intangible cultural heritage experiences.

Pudong Library will release a survey report on Shanghai residents' reading habits and introduce recommended literary-themed tour routes of Shanghai on April 24.

Shanghai Children's Library will continue to host parent-child reading activities, inviting families to record audio of their reading sessions to capture the warm moments of family reading.

Special activities for minors and people with disabilities will also be introduced, including training for reading promoters for people with disabilities.

Bookstores and cultural venues across the city are also joining the celebration.

In Daxue Road, Yangpu district, themed cultural walking routes will be launched, and a reading alliance will be established. Digital platforms Bilibili and Dewu are joining the initiative to offer activities and services such as book signings by content creators and online book trading.

Shanghai Book City on Fuzhou Road is hosting a week-long pop-up program featuring curated book lists and reading sessions under the theme "Every Day Is a Reading Day".

Each district is also hosting reading promotion activities with local features. Huangpu district is running a used book fair with interactive cultural activities from April 21 to 26, while Xuhui district is hosting cultural salons highlighting local heritage, along with year-round public reading-themed talks.

China's first National Reading Week is being observed nationwide to promote reading among the public.