SHENZHEN’s 22nd Reading Month features more than 1,400 reading and cultural activities, focusing on fields such as science popularization, ecological museums, geographical discovery, interstellar exploration, future creation, and science fiction and imagination. Themed “Inspiring a New Vision” this year, the annual Reading Month held in November continues to create a reading extravaganza for book lovers. Hot fields, like science fiction, technology and design, have a considerable influence on locals’ reading choices. UNESCO has named Shenzhen a global model for the promotion of reading. As of April 2020, the city had been home to seven over-10,000-square-meter book malls, 673 public libraries and more than 700 brick-and-mortar bookstores. Reading at libraries and bookstores, listening to free lectures and talks, and studying at book bars, have become part of many residents’ everyday life. (SD News) | 