April 4 is World Book Day. Ji Xianlin once said that China is the most book-loving and reading country in the world. In this day and age, do Chinese still like to read? Gu Bin, known as one of the "three major European sinologists", why did he talk about his experience of visiting bookstores in Beijing and Shanghai, feeling as if he was in "paradise"?

Recently, China News Agency's East-West Dialogue invited Wolfgang Kubin, a well-known German sinologist and professor at the University of Bonn and a distinguished professor at Shantou University in China, and Hu Chunchun, head of European studies at Shanghai Overseas Chinese University and a German researcher, to engage in dialogue.

Video: The Beauty of Reading: East-West Dialogue|Chinese and German Scholars: Is there still a need for paper books? Source: China News Network

Do Chinese like to read?

According to the results of the 2022th National National Reading Survey released in 2021, the per capita reading of paper books and 4.76 e-books per adult in China in 3 was 30.59, and the reading rate of adult national books was 7.<>%.

"For me, bookstores in Beijing and Shanghai are paradise." Gu Bin said that when he visited bookstores in Beijing and Shanghai, he was surprised, there were people sitting and reading books everywhere, and people liked to read books in bookstores.

Video: [The Beauty of Reading] East-West Dialogue|German Sinologists: Bookstores in Beijing and Shanghai are "Paradise" Source: China News Network

Hu Chunchun believes that China is a very read-loving nation. And in any society, reading is out of practicality. Modern society is a knowledge society, and the intake of knowledge is inherently purposeful. For example, if you want to understand the capital market, you will buy relevant books.

What are the differences between the reading habits of Chinese and German people?

Gu Bin said that there are differences between China and Germany in reading places. Germans usually read books at home, in cars, trains, high-speed trains, and not in bookstores.

"In Germany, if I go to a bookstore, I usually buy whatever book I want. Of course, I will also ask the boss if there are any recommended books. ”

Hu Chunchun said that like China, Germany is also a nation that loves to read. The application of new technologies is one of the differences between China and Germany in reading.

"At present, Chinese are more curious about new technologies, so they often use some new technical means, such as reading books on mobile phones, which is currently the most popular way to read in China."

Will paper books still exist in the future?

With the advancement of technology, mobile phones have become more and more important media for reading. According to the survey results, in 2021, the average adult Chinese citizen spent the longest daily mobile phone contact time, 101.12 minutes, compared with 21.05 minutes for traditional paper media.

Will paper books be replaced by e-books in the future?

"I love the book in my hand talking to me, it smells and I can touch it."

Gu Bin said that he prefers paper books. But he also admitted that the next generation in Germany, like the Chinese now, likes to read books on their mobile phones, and they are equally happy.

Hu Chunchun believes that any medium, whether it is a book or a mobile phone, is first and foremost an intuitive experience, and some things cannot be replaced by each other. We can read electronically, but one problem with e-reading is that it exists virtually.

"If one day the mobile phone is broken, or the Internet is not working, the book suddenly does not exist, which is a very scary thing for readers."

He also said that reading as an intuitive experience, readers can write on the book, can look back and forth, back and forth, these are all e-books can not provide.

Photo by Zhu Ying

As if in unison, both Gu Bin and Hu Chunchun chose a wall-high bookcase full of stacks as the background for this remote conversation. When talking about the rise, Hu Chunchun also "posted" the book on the table to the camera more than once - including Gu Bin's "The Barbarians Are Coming: Where to Go for Sinology?" There is also "The Art of Enlightenment", which records a good story of Sino-German people-to-people exchanges.

According to the survey results, in 2021, 45.6% of China's adult citizens preferred to "take a paper book and read it".

"Of course, I also admire my students, who write directly on their pads and mobile phones with electronic pens. I said you guys are really good, I can't do it at all. Hu Chunchun said.