天津的滨海图书馆位于天津，以其高耸如书架、光影层叠的空间和“打卡”式社交媒体气质成为中国“阅读”叙事的象征，即使许多“书架”更像布景、许多访客却更沉迷手机。中国的识字工程也有明显量化进展：毛泽东时期从1949年的不足20%提升到1976年的约60%，而今天接近99%。
在习近平执政下，阅读政策明显抬头：2月起新规生效，4月26日举行首届全国阅读周，党媒和《求是》持续要求全民“少刷手机多读书”。与此同时，纸质阅读呈下降趋势，成年人的年均阅读量为4.8本，而美国成年人约为13本，官方讨论已从“是否阅读”转向“如何纠偏数字阅读的碎片化”。
阅读推进的现实约束在执行中更清晰：官方可建空间、建馆，但并未自动提升阅读质量，报刊阅览室书源不足、实体书店缺乏有力配套（如日式定价机制）就是例子。更关键的趋势是“可读物”结构变化——口号偏“好书”，线上出版与海外出版抬升、对“政治问题”或敏感题材（如耽美、玄幻）管控趋严，以及独立书店外迁，说明重读书数量并未必带来出版开放与思想多样性同步扩大。
The Binhai Library in Tianjin, with its soaring shelves and social-media-ready atmosphere, has become a symbolic icon of reading in China even though many displays are photogenic set pieces and many visitors are absorbed in their phones. China’s literacy campaign has clear historical scale: from under 20% in 1949, Mao-era efforts lifted literacy to about 60% by 1976, and it is now close to 99%.
Under Xi Jinping, reading policy has become highly visible: new regulations took effect in February, the first nationwide reading week was held on April 26, and state media plus Qiushi repeatedly urge people to read more. Yet behavioral data show a shift toward digital consumption, with adults averaging only 4.8 physical books a year versus about 13 in the United States, while officials increasingly debate how to counter time-killing screen reading.
The campaign also faces operational limits: authorities can build libraries and reading spaces, but enforcement is uneven, as seen in thin newspaper-stocked reading rooms and weak incentives for physical bookstores compared with Japan’s fixed-price model. More concerning is what is being read—official emphasis on “good” books, growth in online publishing, crackdowns on politically sensitive or popular genres like danmei and supernatural fiction, and independent booksellers moving abroad—so Xi’s push strongly boosts reading volume but is less supportive of open publishing and intellectual diversity.
Source: Put down your phone
Subtitle: Xi Jinping wants China to read more-as long as it's the right books
Dateline: The Economist May 2nd 2026