Report shows Chinese post-00s' trend of reading

2015-08-28    Source: Chinadaily.com.cn

Picture books on display at the 2015 BIBF, Aug 26.

JD.com, the largest online book sales company in China, released its latest research report at the 22nd Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) on the trend of juvenile reading.

Based on the sales volume from 2014 to the first half of 2015, JD.com's report shows that the top three most popular (based on sales)literature books are the Little Princeby French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,Tetsuko Kuroyanagi: the Little Girl at the Windowby Japanese writer Tetsuko Kuroyanagi andthe Straw Houseby Chinese writer Cao Wenxuan.

The report also shows that 60 percent of Chinese parents choose juvenile literature works. And according to Chinese scholars, this shows that parents prefer bringing out the facts and reasons through stories with graceful language or touching plots.

Skill-training books are always among the best-sellers list in the field of juvenile reading. The report shows that books on calligraphy and painting rank first in sales accounting for over 56 percent of all the skill-training books.

Among the top 20 traditional Chinese juvenile books, the Three Character Primer ranks first in sales while Di Zi Gui (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child) and A Collection of 100 Surnames in China follow at second and third.

While the 1980s saw Chinese attract to Japanese cartoons and animations, the Chinese of the 2000s era prefer American and European works. The report shows that Frozen, Story series of Princess Barbie and My Little Pony are the most popular among cartoons and animations.

Children attracted by digital books on display at the 2015 BIBF, Aug 26.

According to Yang Haifeng, general manager of the department of books and audiovisual products at JD.com, the report is intended to provide a reference to the publishers, and help them get a better understanding of the trend in juvenile reading. In the future, JD.com hopes to launch more juvenile works together with publishing companies through the internet.

"With the international influence of BIBF, more and more publishers and readers are paying attention to the fair and participate in the fair. It’s become the largest activity of culture exchange as well as reading promotion. That’s why we choose to publish our report during the fair," Yang added.

As one of the world's biggest book gatherings, a total of 2,270 publishers from 82 countries and regions participate at the 2015 BIBF. Slated from August 26 to August 30, it will exhibit about 270,000 publications in a 66,000 square meter venue at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing.

Among the participants, 1,305 are from overseas, a year-on-year increase of 6.3 percent. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the fair's guest of honor. Serbia, Romania, Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan will be first timers to the event.