From April 20 to 26, China celebrated its first National Reading Activity Week. Under the theme “Bookish Tianfu · Nationwide Reading,” Sichuan will launch a series of activities to deepen and solidify the promotion of reading. According to sources from the Propaganda Department of the Provincial Party Committee, Sichuan will continue to hold a reading conference this year, with the main venue in Deyang and simultaneous events in Guangyuan, Dazhou, Guang’an, and Luzhou. All 21 cities (prefectures) across the province will coordinate efforts, sparking a reading wave that covers urban and rural areas and is shared by all.
On April 23, the fourth “Bookish Tianfu · Nationwide Reading” Conference of Sichuan Province and the 2026 National Reading Activity Week launching ceremony will be held in Deyang. At the event, a Bookish Tianfu reading map and a nationwide reading passport will be released, along with the annual reading survey report. Renowned writer A Lai and author Tiancan Tudou will appear as reading promotion ambassadors, using literary influence to encourage more people to approach and fall in love with reading. The event site will also feature immersive experience projects such as ancient book restoration, AI digital interaction, intangible cultural heritage displays, and a bookish market.
As the main venues for nationwide reading, public libraries across the province will simultaneously launch a series of special activities. The Sichuan Provincial Library will release its annual reading report, announce the year’s top borrowers, and focus on creating two flagship projects: “Classics Enter Drama · Cultural Rhyme Spreads Sound,” a drama culture benefit program, and “Read and Enjoy Tianfu · Libraries and Schools Go Together.” The Chengdu Library, catering to readers of all ages, will offer diverse activities such as local author sharing sessions, book markets, blind box reading, and intergenerational reading between grandparents and grandchildren. Additionally, it will provide convenient services for elderly and disabled readers, including priority processing, digital assistance, and home delivery of books, bridging the “last mile” of reading services and achieving synchronized online and offline engagement.
Various regions will organize diverse reading activities based on local cultural characteristics.
Mianyang, leveraging its local Third Front construction cultural resources, focuses on cultivating reading habits among children. It will deliver high-quality reading resources, such as themed reading lectures, children’s picture book guidance, and mobile library services, precisely to local primary and secondary schools, urban communities, and rural areas, effectively promoting nationwide reading among grassroots populations.
Suining actively explores new forms of digital reading, fully utilizing modern digital technologies like XR and VR to create immersive ancient book reading experience scenes. At the same time, it will host fun activities such as book fairs, on-site signings by local authors, and reader interaction exchanges, innovating reading experience formats to attract people of all ages to actively participate in reading.
Leshan delves into local cultural and historical resources, planning to release a batch of new local-themed books showcasing regional customs, such as “Leshan Food Atlas” and “A Brief History of Leshan.” It will also continue to optimize the layout of urban reading spaces and improve the rural book corner service system, further enriching the supply of reading content for both urban and rural areas.
Langzhong, relying on ancient residential courtyards like the Pangmen Academy and the Kong Family Courtyard in the ancient city, will create characteristic reading spaces imbued with the cultural heritage of the ancient city. Around World Book Day, it will organize various mass reading activities for citizens and tourists, including recitations of classic poems, readings of traditional culture, and book-sharing sessions, integrating reading into the cultural tourism experience of the ancient city.
In addition, Xinhua Wenxuan will coordinate all its stores across the province and online platforms to offer multiple cultural benefits, such as book discounts, bookish cultural tourism vouchers, and affordable book exhibitions, further reducing reading costs for the public. The “Light Up Reading Micro-Wishes” public welfare campaign will also be launched simultaneously, delivering quality reading materials and reading gift packages to rural schools, relocation communities, and grassroots frontline areas.
On February 1 of this year, the “Regulations on the Promotion of Nationwide Reading” officially took effect, marking a new phase of legalization and standardization for nationwide reading. Sichuan seizes this opportunity to continuously improve the urban and rural reading service network, create convenient and inclusive reading scenarios, and promote reading into more people’s daily lives, making “loving reading, reading good books, and being good at reading” a new social trend.
