The 22nd Zhongshan Reading Month kicked off at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Library on April 20 to celebrate the 29th World Reading Day.

More than 600 immersive reading activities will be carried out in Xiangshan Studies, physical bookstores, public libraries and special reading venues across the city throughout the year.

At the opening ceremony, the 2023 Reading Development Report of Zhongshan was released.

According to the report, more than half of the residents interviewed read 10 or more books last year. Traditional paper reading was still residents' first choice for reading. Over half of the residents interviewed said their expenditures on physical books increased 51.9% year-on-year. Some 23.% of them increased their time spent on paper reading, while over 30% of them increased their time spent on digital reading.

On the opening day, famous authors including Ye Mei, Tong Xixi and Wang Yuguang were invited to present a series of public open reading classes.

The grand photo exhibition "Bridge over the Sea - Pay Tribute to the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link Builders" also opened in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Library and will run through June 20.