Readers are increasingly forming WeChat groups to motivate one another to read large tomes and discuss them, even setting carrot-and-stick policies for those meeting or missing deadlines, Xu Lin reports.
(ZHONG JINYE / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Sometime before the Spring Festival holiday this year, Liu Min made a resolution. She wanted to finish reading Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov within 10 days. She almost took it up as a challenge.
However, she didn't take up the challenge alone.
The group opened my eyes to books I would otherwise have ignored. But after being motivated, I read and found them to be appealing
Zhang Lizi, 26, from an online finance company in Shanghai, who has joined WeChat reading groups
Instead, she invited nine friends from all walks of life, who share the same passion, and created a WeChat group, hoping they would all encourage each other to finish the task at hand.
Many Chinese believe the book is a difficult read, not least because of the characters' long Russian names. Most readers find the book too philosophical to grasp.
The last novel by Dostoevsky, one of the giants of Russian literature, is set in 19th century Russia. It is the story of Fyodor Karamazov and his three sons, a patricide, questions about God, free will and morality through a love-hate relationship.
Liu is one among many Chinese who have formed online groups to give a boost to their reading by helping inculcate regular reading habits, have a platform on which to share their thoughts on the books they are reading, and keep away from "electronic temptations", such as short videos and mobile games.
Such groups have their own rules to discipline themselves. Once they meet the reading targets, members are expected to share their observations with others. Some groups even offer rewards or punishments for goals met or missed respectively. For example, those failing to meet monthly reading goals are sometimes expected to send money through WeChat Pay into the group.
According to the 18th annual report on Chinese people's reading habits by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, 81.3 percent of adult Chinese had a reading habit－be it in print form or on their mobile phones or some other digital devices－in 2020, up by 0.2 percent from 2019.
In 2020, an adult Chinese read, on average, 4.7 printed books and 3.29 digital books; the corresponding figures for 2019 were 4.65 and 2.84 respectively.
While most people said they were not satisfied with the number of books they read in a year, 11.6 percent of those surveyed said they had read at least 10 printed books, and 8.5 percent said they had read at least 10 e-books.
Paradise Time Travel Bookstore on Bakuo Street, Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region, is popular with tourists. (XU LIN / CHINA DAILY)
Together we can do it
Actually, Liu first wanted to read The Brothers Karamazov three years ago. But it was just not happening. That is when she came up with the group plan during the Spring Festival holiday in February.
She believed the timing was right, as the authorities had appealed to people to stay where they were, preferably indoors, instead of visiting their hometowns to meet relatives at a time when there were some sporadic cases of novel coronavirus infections. Since there was enough time to focus on the reading, Liu set everyone in her group an ambitious task, asking them to read about 90 pages per day.
However, by the very second day she realized it was not going to be that easy. "As if remembering long Russian names wasn't difficult enough, the characters in the book have three names being used in different situations, making it even more difficult to understand," says Liu, 32, who is a Beijing-based reporter and reads 60 to 80 books a year.
To make things easier, she invited her friend, a graduate from Peking University's Russian department, into the WeChat group to teach them, through audio clips, about pronunciations and variations in Russian names, thus making it easier for them to remember.
That gave her more ideas. To make the reading process more complete, she decided to let group members invite more professionals who can handle their queries and elaborate on the profound metaphors.
Soon, the group had Russian language and literature experts, including a teacher from the Shanghai International Studies University's Russian department, taking turns to share their thoughts on the book and give background information on 19th century Russia.
It was more like a study group now. Each member had to finish the daily reading task, failing which they would not be able to follow the experts' lectures or answer others' queries.
Zhongshuge Bookstore at Galeries Lafayette in Beijing draws not just booklovers, but many more who come to admire its avant-garde decor. (XU LIN / CHINA DAILY)
In the end, it took them 12 days to finish reading the book, with only one member quitting midway.
For the convenience of her friends, and even future readers of the book, Liu wrote articles summarizing the gist of the experts' audio messages and the things they learned in those 12 days. Fresh readers of The Brothers Karamazov can access these useful resources on her public WeChat account, Xiong Ayi (Aunt Bear).
"It's not very difficult to join such online reading groups－all you need is a book," she says. "And you can communicate with others who share similar ideas and beliefs about some profound issues."
After working for several years, Liu, who majored in Chinese language, says she had lost the habit of reading serious literature. "It's hard to immerse oneself in books these days, given our busy schedules."
Not surprisingly, the reading project was suspended after the Dostoevsky book. Because, once they returned to their work after the holiday, they hardly found the time or the energy for such projects. They decided on a few other masterpieces and voted to read War and Peace by another Russian author, Leo Tolstoy. But that may not happen until the next Spring Festival holiday.
Reading can be contagious
Zhang Lizi, 26, likes to join WeChat groups where members share why they read a certain book and what their impressions are, so that she can decide whether or not to read that book.
"Going through others' reading choices and thoughts has helped me broaden my reading horizon," says Zhang, who works in an online finance company in Shanghai. "The group opened my eyes to books I would otherwise have ignored. But after being motivated, I read and found them to be appealing.
"And hearing inspiring comments about some books from some well-read members has helped me open up about what I've learned. Thus, there is mutual progress."
She finds such regular online discussions about a specific theme with members from different walks of life beneficial. It offers a different perspective and understanding. "You can see something that's quite unexpected and it makes you ponder on the subject," she says.
The mobile internet era has made reading a lot more convenient for her, as she prefers e-books, which she browses on her mobile while commuting to work. Also, it's easy to search for something in e-books.
"Reading is fun. It has helped me grow and given me insights about dealing with myself and handling relations between myself and others, and with the world," Zhang says.
Another Zhongshuge Bookstore in Chengdu, Sichuan province. (XU LIN / CHINA DAILY)
Thirty-four-year-old Wali (not his real name) organized a reading WeChat group way back in 2015. "It has helped me broaden my horizon. I've also made friends with an excellent group of people," he says.
"The group is a reminder of the importance of reading books. We should not let entertainment apps dominate our leisure time."
He sets hard tasks for his group. Members have to share at least 10 ideas related to reading every month; those who can't have to leave the group. Most members stick to the deadlines. They hold an online session every Sunday evening.
He encourages members to pay 1 yuan (US$0.15) a month, money that is used to buy books for those who read the most. "The winners are almost always the same people," he says.
Ming Guang, from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is a volunteering administrator for a reading group on WeChat. "Reading is an integral part of my life," Ming says.
"It helps tackle loneliness. Being in the group has made me disciplined as a person. Besides, I have made many good friends."
Online salon or alone?
Zhang Ning, a professor at the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Beijing Normal University, says that unlike the traditional way of reading alone, this form of sharing one's reading process and thoughts with others is like being in an online salon. This kind of experience reduces one's loneliness while reading.
"Each reader's understanding of a book differs, and they can exchange their views about difficult portions of the content in this salon. That's why offline reading salons are often held in universities too," he says. "Compared with offline reading salons, the online ones have become fashionable, especially among youngsters. It's a boon for readers, as they can refocus their attention on reading."
He, however, believes that for real in-depth reading one must read alone.
"In the mobile internet era, one's energy, time and attention are divided across various things. As a result, even our reading habit suffers. An in-depth reading of a book, be it a novel or an academic book, means that we should figure out its history and background, rather than focusing on some fragments," Zhang Ning says. "If you can stick to in-depth reading, it will be salvation for your 'fragmented life'."
He suggests that one turn off the television and stay away from mobile phones for two hours every night, and focus wholly on reading. That takes great willpower and perseverance, he adds.
Contact the writer at xulin@chinadaily.com.cn
