A group of reading lovers show the books they read in front of the reading pavilion in Shanghai.

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People lined up in long queues for a unique reading experience in Shanghai Library knowledge square on March 4. They were waiting for their own turn to get into a 3-meter-tall reading pavilion and read aloud. They could record themselves reading on an audio and video device and each person was allowed to read into the microphone for three minutes.

The reading pavilion, initially inspired by the hit show, Readers, which premiered this February, was part of a campaign by both the TV show and Shanghai Library, lasting from March 4 to March 7. Many book lovers took part in the campaign.

About 300 Shanghai citizens came to the site in the first day that the pavilion opened and the opening hours were even extended for another three days because of the unexpected crowds.
“The reading pavilion will move in a few days, but we must keep our enthusiasm high,” said Zhou Deming, deputy curator of the Shanghai Library. He also stated that the library would launch these kinds of reading activities to provide room for book lovers and readers.

The first reader in Shanghai’s reading pavilion, Li Xinyang, who is a freshman from Shanghai International Studies University, borrowed Xiao Qian’s Valley of Dreams from the university library. Li explained that she chose the book because it was written by Xiao Qian during the 1930s and tells a poetic love story that took place in Shantou, Guangdong Province at the spot where Li’s alma mater-Shantou Jinshan Middle School is located. She wanted to read aloud and dedicate it to the 140 anniversaries of her school this year.

Reading is an ability that’s rooted deeply in people’s hearts and such a TV program, along with its offline activity, has awakened people’s hidden passion for the pursuit of culture, said Wang Qun, a professor from the School of Communication at the East China Normal University.

Zhou said that the enthusiasm makes him feel like reading is experiencing a revival. The Shanghai Library said it will try to satisfy its readers in a variety of ways, not only with paper books and e-books, but also with more innovative forms like the reading pavilion, so that readers can choose their favorite way to read or read aloud.

The reading pavilions are increasingly being found in more places across the country like Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Xi’an, after first appearing in Beijing.