Hong Kong people love to read these books

The 31st Hong Kong Book Fair, held in July last year, attracted a large number of Hong Kong citizens to buy their favorite books. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Zhihua

After the COVID-19 pandemic entered the new normal, reading has gradually become a favorite learning pastime for more people. Recently, United New Retail (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. released the "2021 Hong Kong Reading Trend Report", combing the annual best-seller list in Hong Kong and presenting the changes in reading tastes in Hong Kong society. According to the report, more than 140,000 kinds of books were sold in Hong Kong in 2021, of which the sales of financial and economic books declined, and the sales of inspirational books soared, focusing on the present and paying attention to health has become a new feature of Hong Kong readers' reading.

Children's books lead the best-seller list

The statistics of this report are provided by nearly 50 Sanlian bookstores, Zhonghua Bookstore, Commercial Printing House and cultural shopping platform "One Book" in Hong Kong, and the statistical period is from January to December 2021. The relevant person in charge of united new retail said that the variety of new books they purchased last year increased by double digits, reflecting that the Hong Kong publishing industry is gradually recovering, especially the Hong Kong Book Fair, which was interrupted for one year, was successfully held in July last year, which led to a significant increase in the willingness of publishing houses to publish new books.

In the total annual best-selling book list, 7 of the top 10 books are children's books, and half of the top 30 children's books account for them, showing that Hong Kong parents attach great importance to the cultivation of their children's learning and reading habits, and the "Fairy Tale DreamWorks" series, "Sherlock Holmes" series, "Ass Detective Reader and Animation Comics" are the top three in children's book sales.

Inspirational books are in the spotlight

The report also shows that the sales of financial and economic books in 2021 have declined significantly, and the sales of inspirational books have led, indicating that last year, the spiritual inspirational category was more concerned by readers, and more and more people are eager to know themselves, face difficulties, and constantly look for forward momentum.

Judging from the specific types of books, in addition to how to alleviate the "anti-epidemic fatigue" and other related books continue to attract much attention, overcoming "workplace burnout" has also become a new topic. In addition, life education is no longer a social taboo, and related books have been launched one after another, which shows that inspirational books are gradually diversifying in Hong Kong.

As for classic books, they are still popular with readers. Philosophy books, for example, recorded an increase of more than 10% in 2021.

At the same time, due to the impact of the epidemic, more readers pay attention to personal health and hope to learn more about health and wellness related information, and similar books are also sought after. For example, "Illustrated Basics of Chinese Medicine" and "Do You Want to Be Healthy?" In fact, books such as "So Simple" have sold well. Hong Kong people also cook at home more often than ever, and food and beverage cuisine has become their focus. Some books focus on emerging ways to lose weight, and internet celebrities have gathered their personal weight loss tips into books that have become super bestsellers of the year.

Online bookstores have developed steadily

Jian Juelun, deputy general manager of the planning department of United New Retail (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., said that in 2021, Hong Kong's book market as a whole is stable, readers have read more inspirational books, pay more attention to health and exercise, and are more adept at enjoying the experience of physical bookstores while making good use of the prices and conveniences provided by online bookstores.

The report shows that hong Kong online bookstores will develop steadily in 2021. In terms of best-selling categories, online bookstores rank very similarly with physical bookstores, mainly classic and long-selling books. However, online bookstores also have their own uniqueness, for example, for group customers, it is more convenient to buy in large quantities in online bookstores. But overall, there is still room for a significant increase in the scale of online book sales. In terms of customer preferences, readers are more accustomed to using mobile devices such as smartphones to purchase books, which are more convenient to use because they are not limited by region or time. The peak period for orders in online bookstores is in the evening hours, which complements the business hours of physical bookstores.