The author, Feng Shixin (Party Secretary and President of the China News and Publication Research Institute), comments that the tradition of "farming and studying," which regards reading as a "first-class good deed," is an outstanding cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. Since 2006, when 11 departments including the Publicity Department issued the "Proposal on Carrying out National Reading Activities," China's national reading cause has developed over nearly two decades, gradually achieving a historic leap from a social initiative to a national strategy. The promulgation and implementation of the "National Reading Promotion Ordinance" (hereinafter referred to as the "Ordinance") marks a new stage where national reading work has entered a phase of legal guarantee.

National reading legislation highlights the important value of reading in the evolution of civilization. A key reason why Chinese civilization has continued uninterrupted for thousands of years is the persistent continuation of the reading tradition mediated by Chinese characters. Reading is not only seen as a personal matter but also as an important means of education, possessing significant sociality, and is guaranteed through a systematic institutional design. After the founding of New China, the vigorous literacy campaign significantly enhanced the nation's reading ability. Since the reform and opening up, the vigorous restoration and development of the publishing industry have continuously expanded the reading ability and horizons of the people. In the new era, the CPC Central Committee has attached great importance to national reading work. The 18th National Congress included "carrying out national reading activities" in its report, "national reading" has been included in the Government Work Report for 12 consecutive years, the State Council approved the establishment of the "National Reading Activity Week," and the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal further proposed "promoting the construction of a scholarly society"... This trajectory of policy development clearly outlines the evolution of the national reading cause from conceptual advocacy to institutional construction. The promulgation of the "Ordinance" is a milestone on this trajectory, injecting stronger legal momentum into empowering the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through reading.

National reading legislation is a powerful guarantee for the people's right to read. As material living standards have significantly improved, the people's demand for spiritual culture has grown increasingly, and reading has become an indispensable part of a better life. However, there remains a significant gap between the current supply of reading materials and the people's expectations, mainly manifested in insufficient supply of high-quality content, uneven distribution of reading resources, obvious urban-rural and regional disparities, and relatively weak reading infrastructure in some areas. The rapid development of digital reading methods also brings new challenges in areas such as access to high-quality digital content and digital literacy. Promoting equal access to reading public services and improving their quality through legislative means is a positive response to the people's reading needs. The "Ordinance" further clarifies reading rights for different groups, such as adolescents and the elderly, promotes the extension of reading resources to the grassroots and various groups, transforming the concept of "books for everyone" into tangible livelihood security.

National reading legislation is an urgent need to uphold the value of reading in the digital and intelligent era. With the rapid development of technologies such as the internet and artificial intelligence, the reading ecosystem faces tremendous changes. On one hand, digital reading, with its convenience, interactivity, and personalization, breaks spatiotemporal limits and enriches reading scenarios and choices; on the other hand, issues such as fragmented reading impacting deep reading, algorithmic recommendations solidifying "information cocoons," and entertaining content encroaching on reading time are gradually becoming apparent. Results from the National Reading Survey continuously conducted by the China News and Publication Research Institute show that while China's comprehensive reading rate is steadily increasing, the growth rate of per capita paper book reading volume is slowing. Against this backdrop, how to preserve the essence of reading in the digital and intelligent era, promote the deep integration of traditional and emerging reading methods, and build a healthy and beneficial reading ecosystem have become important considerations for this legislation.

National reading legislation demonstrates Chinese characteristics and institutional advantages. From the perspective of local practice, regions like Jiangsu and Tianjin have taken the lead in issuing local regulations related to national reading, accumulating valuable experience for national-level legislation. From an international perspective, since UNESCO established "World Book Day" in 1995, over a hundred countries, including China, have actively responded over the past 30 years. Many countries have also established reading guarantee and promotion mechanisms through legislation, clarifying the legal responsibilities of governments in areas like reading resource investment and reading habit cultivation, forming reading promotion systems with their own characteristics. China's national reading legislation both draws on international experience and innovates based on its national conditions, fully reflecting the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics. For example, in terms of the promotion mechanism, it constructs a three-dimensional model of "government-led, multi-party collaboration, and全民参与," clarifies the responsibilities of all parties, leverages market mechanisms, forms a joint force to promote national reading, builds a reading service system covering urban and rural areas, and allows high-quality reading resources to benefit all people.

The legalization of the national reading cause brings important opportunities for the development of the publishing industry. Only when the whole nation values and participates in reading can the publishing industry achieve sustainable development and prosperity. The publishing sector should actively align with the requirements of the "Ordinance," take responsibility and act, transforming legal requirements into vivid practice for a scholarly society. It should actively promote the study and publicity of the "Ordinance," actively fostering a strong atmosphere of "loving reading, reading good books, and being good at reading" throughout society; promote the implementation of legal provisions, actively coordinate with Party committees and governments at all levels, participate in the formulation of local reading plans, promote the inclusion of reading work in relevant key arrangements, and facilitate the effective implementation of supportive and safeguarding policies and measures; further strengthen the supply of high-quality content, stimulate cultural innovation and creativity, launch more masterpieces that mark the height of the era and are beloved by readers, providing a continuous stream of high-quality content resources for national reading; enhance the reach of reading dissemination, and promote the integration of reading into life scenarios. Furthermore, it should accelerate the transformation and upgrading of physical bookstores, encourage the embedding of reading services in public transport, commercial complexes, communities, and other venues, vigorously develop online channels and digital reading to meet diverse and multi-level reading needs. Organize a variety of reading promotion activities, build bridges between good books and readers, and make reading a lifestyle accessible anytime and anywhere.