How to Attract Young People to Read Chinese

How to Attract Young People to Read Chinese

Cheng Oi Keung

Equatorial Wind Cultural Association / “New Equator Wind” Journal

Besides introducing outstanding local writers in each issue, the “New Equatorial Wind” journal published by Equatorial Wind Cultural Association also features poetry, essays, and fiction columns, as well as “Doctoring at the equatorial region” which caters to elderly writers. Beyond these works, nearly half of our pages are dedicated to publishing student works. For example, we have the “Budding writers at the equator” column for secondary school students’ works and “Young writers at the equator” for secondary school, junior college, or university students’ works. These columns all contain content aimed at young people. However, attracting young people to read Chinese books remains both a concern of ours and a challenging problem.

Survey Findings on Reading Habits

According to a 2018 Lianhe Zaobao survey, over 70% of teenagers enjoy reading, with Secondary 1 students showing the highest participation rate. This dispels the misconception that "modern teenagers don't like reading" – the actual decline in reading among senior students is primarily attributed to heavy academic workloads. The 2021 National Reading Habits Survey revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, prevention measures led more local residents to turn to reading as a leisure activity. Among adults aged 20 and above, 95% read more than once a week, up from 88% in 2018, with digital reading formats gaining increasing popularity. These survey findings provide valuable insights for reading promotion initiatives.

Making Literature Accessible to Teenagers

How to attract young people burdened by heavy coursework to read beyond their textbooks is a challenge, with the types and length of books being among the key considerations. All learning is driven by interest, and reading is no exception. Regardless of how technology evolves in the future, changes in reading methods are merely changes in form – they cannot diminish young people’s innate curiosity and desire to seek knowledge through reading.

We could consider integrating publication formats with book sharing and Chinese cultural activities such as music and recitation. We might periodically organise book promotion sessions and create simple bilingual picture books or short videos to share on relevant platforms.

With countless books published each year, we must carefully read and thoughtfully select titles suitable for the younger generation – books that can genuinely capture young people's interest. We are also exploring partnerships with schools to incorporate Chinese reading into extracurricular programmes.

Conclusion

Traditional culture must evolve with the times, and there must be a bridge that enables traditional culture to stay relevant while being preserved. The Equatorial Wind Cultural Association is a young organisation whose core team members juggle full-time jobs elsewhere, with some editorial committee members also having their own commitments in other community organisations or associations. Despite these challenges, we are all committed to our efforts, striving to excel in activities that encourage young people to read.

References

1. “Diaocha: geng duo ren pianhao yuedu zhizhi shu chaoguo qi cheng qingshaonian xihuan yuedu”调查：更多人偏好阅读纸质书 超过七成青少年喜欢阅读 [Survey: Physical Books Preferred by More People; Over 70% of Teenagers Enjoy Reading], Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 2 August 2018.

2. “Diaocha: yi xia mei zhou yuedu chaoguo yi ci de bendi jumin zengjia” 调查：疫下每周阅读超过一次的本地居民增加 [Survey: Pandemic Sees Rise in Local Residents Reading More Than Once a Week] Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 10 October 2022.