Home / News Type Content Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Chinese People Turn to a New Page
Adjust font size:

A survey has shown that the number of Chinese reading at least one book a year has declined dramatically as the Internet takes people away from the tradition of reading books. 

The survey, conducted every two years by the China Publishing Research Center under the General Administration of Press and Publication, was released over the weekend to mark Sunday's 11th World Book and Copyright Day.

Of the 8,000 respondents, who participated in last year's study, less than 50 percent said they read at least one book a year.

According to Monday's China Daily the survey, which started in 1999, found that year by year the public were becoming less inclined to read books. 

A lack of time was cited by most respondents as the reason for them not to read. However, the time spent by Chinese people on the Internet has increased sharply from 3.7 percent in 1999 to 27.8 percent last year, the survey revealed.

Hao Zhenxing, director of the publishing research center said conventional reading could never be replaced by scanning websites. 

However, statistics from the center show that there's actually a wider selection of books on the market with the number published in 1978 being 14,987 while in 2004 it had climbed to 208,294.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2006)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- Changes in Spare-time Reading for Chinese University Students in 50 Years
- Fewer Books and Magazines Read
- Changes of Reading Habits
- Northeastern China Province to Initiate First E-commerce Online Reading Channel
- Fictions Most Popular in Shanghai: Survey
- Blog Booms, Newspaper Declines
- Wireless Internet Vital to China
Most Viewed >>
- World's longest sea-spanning bridge to open
- Yao out for season with stress fracture in left foot
- 141 seriously polluting products blacklisted
- China starts excavation for world's first 3G nuclear plant
- Irresponsible remarks on Hu Jia case opposed 
- 'The China Riddle'
- China, US agree to step up constructive,cooperative relations
- FIT World Congress: translators on track
- Christianity popular in Tang Dynasty
- Factory fire kills 15, injures 3 in Shenzhen

Product Directory
China Search
Country Search
Hot Buys