E-Commerce China Dangdang has officially released its "2026 National Reading Insight" report. Data indicates that textbooks for primary and secondary schools, along with children's books, constitute approximately 50% of book consumption, forming the core support of the book market.
The workplace reading demographic demonstrates a dual demand for "skill enhancement and emotional regulation." This group focuses on upgrading professional skills, particularly content related to cutting-edge fields like AI, while also showing strong interest in psychology and investment books. They aim to alleviate workplace anxiety through reading while exploring wealth growth pathways, with pragmatism being their central reading motivation.
In contrast, deep reading enthusiasts prefer classical literature and comprehensive historical works, seeking intellectual沉淀 and cognitive improvement through reading. This group places significant emphasis on the collectible value of books, showing robust demand for special edition and collector's versions. Their willingness to pay for cultural depth and aesthetic value reflects their pursuit of premium content. E-Commerce China Dangdang has collaborated deeply with publishers to create exclusive bestsellers like "Annotations of Chu Ci," further satisfying deep readers' collection needs.
Analysis of book category sales data from the past year reveals five distinct trends in national reading preferences, characterized by "practicality, entertainment, healing, heritage, and quality": First, practical utility drives sustained popularity of AI, finance, and study method books; Second, lightweight expression fuels rapid growth in comic books; Third, emotional value keeps psychological healing books consistently topping charts; Fourth, cultural revival maintains steady demand for classics, Chinese traditional studies, and family correspondence collections; Fifth, collectible quality emerges as significant trend.
The report simultaneously reveals the top ten reading provinces and cities for 2026. Regional reading enthusiasm shows strong correlation with economic development levels and population size, while demonstrating distinctive local preferences.
At provincial level, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shandong maintain top four positions, forming the core book consumption regions as China's economically developed and densely populated areas. Beijing and Shanghai rank fifth and sixth respectively, followed by Henan, Hebei, Sichuan and Fujian, comprising the nation's most reading-enthusiastic provinces.
Among cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou secure the top four spots, with Hangzhou ranking fifth. Chengdu and Chongqing place sixth and seventh, while Wuhan, Nanjing and Changsha occupy eighth through tenth positions, showcasing strong reading vitality in first-tier and new first-tier cities. Regarding category preferences, Shanghai leads in investment book consumption, Guangzhou ranks third in comic book purchases, and Hangzhou reaches fourth place in AI book consumption, highlighting distinct regional reading characteristics.