This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. To mark the occasion, we are publishing a series of reports celebrating the city's achievements in different aspects over the past four decades.
Shenzhen is not only known for its new and high-tech industries, financial service and logistics industry, but also as a city of reading and libraries.
A city named by UNESCO as a global model for the promotion of reading, by the end of 2019, Shenzhen had 959 public libraries including three city-level libraries, nine district-level libraries, 661 reading rooms at subdistrict and community levels, and 286 dispensers and reading pavilions installed in public areas.
The libraries received 35.35 million visits in 2019, an increase of 19.6 percent over the previous year.
Among the affiliated facilities, 346 libraries and 286 dispensers have been connected through a citywide system that enables residents to borrow and return at different places. A total of 14.7 million books were loaned through the system in 2019, an increase of 13.77 percent.
Shenzhen, a young and dynamic city whose population's average age now is 32 years old, started fostering the atmosphere of reading and encouraging public reading through its Reading Month initiated in November 2000.
Reading Month has become a feature of the city through 20 years of development. Each year, hundreds of reading-related activities are organized to attract public participation.
Shenzhen is the first city in China that has reached the goals of every 15,000 people owning a community library, and every 100,000 people owning 7.2 libraries.
In October 2013, UNESCO named Shenzhen a global model for the promotion of reading, recognizing the city's persistent efforts to promote reading among the public. In 2016, the city's legislature passed a regulation to further encourage it.
In addition, the collection of books within households also increased. A survey showed 98 percent of respondents believe reading is very important. The city has more than 150 reading organizations and some 1,300 people actively promoting reading.