Reading for All: The Basic Project of the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation

On April 23, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his congratulatory letter to the First National Reading Conference that reading is an important way for human beings to acquire knowledge, enlighten wisdom and cultivate morality, which can make people get ideological inspiration, establish lofty ideals, and cultivate the spirit of grandeur. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has advocated reading, paid attention to the knowledge of qualities and materials, sincerity and righteousness, inherited the unceasing spirit of the Chinese nation, and shaped the self-confidence and self-improvement of the Chinese people. General Secretary Xi Jinping hopes that the whole society will participate in reading and form a strong atmosphere of loving reading, reading good books and being good at reading.

Reading seems to be the most common and ordinary thing, and it is something that everyone can do, but it is about individuals, cities, nations and countries, and it must not be taken lightly.

Reading is about realizing personal value and

The most important cornerstone of dreams

Reading is a kind of quiet greatness. For individuals, reading for all is to make "proud of reading" become our value concept, let "reading for pleasure" become our way of life, and let "reading for use" become the ladder of our progress. Only by constructing such values, lifestyles and ladders of progress can people harvest spiritual fulfillment, happiness and satisfaction in their lives.

First, establish the value concept of "taking pride in reading"

Respect for knowledge is the traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and reading is the most basic way and way to acquire knowledge. In the eyes of the ancients, reading transcended the limitations of real life, focused on the richness and perfection of the spiritual world, focused on the thirst for and respect for knowledge, and focused on the responsibility to the family and the country, so they were proud of reading. In ancient times, reading was often associated with life aspirations and integrity. China's benevolent people are "worried about the world", they closely link individuals with society, the country and the nation through reading, and believe that reading is the basic way to realize life ambitions and highlight the value of life. "Establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, continue to learn from the saints, and open up peace for all the worlds", such a magnificent righteousness, beyond personal fame and fortune, is still deafening to this day.

Second, cultivate a lifestyle of "reading for pleasure"

In addition to enhancing personal cultivation, reading should become a way of life for seeking the source of happiness. People are pursuing happiness all their lives, and "reading" is undoubtedly the most important source of happiness.

The joy of reading, the joy of seeking knowledge. Born with curiosity and curiosity, reading can first satisfy people's natural desire to acquire knowledge, bringing the joy of "knowing" and "reasoning".

The joy of reading, the joy of aesthetics. In the traditional Chinese cultural system, the meaning of "learning" for life can rise to the level of aesthetic sentiment. The song and Yuan scholar Weng Sen's group poem "Four Hours of Reading Music" presents the joy of reading with different feelings of reading in the four seasons. What is the joy of spring reading? The grass in front of the green window is not removed", in the summer, "the joy of reading is endless, the music of Yaoqin comes to the lavender wind", in the autumn, "the music of reading is happy pottery, and the bright moon is frost and the sky is high", in winter, "where is the joy of reading to find?" Count the plum blossoms in heaven and earth", which is full of images of happiness, integrity and wind and bone, bringing aesthetic fun and mood.

The joy of reading, the joy of the heart. Isaac Barrow said: "A man who loves books will not lack a loyal friend, a good teacher, a lovely partner, a warm comforter." "Friends, teachers, partners, etc. who comfort your heart are all in the book with your soul and empathize with you. The French writer Alain compared reading with dreaming, and the joy of reading lies in the process of reading, full of thoughts, unfettered, and looking for a home for the soul to fly according to the words.

The joy of reading, the joy of expression. The pleasure of expression brought about by reading books is vividly reflected in Du Fu's poems such as "Reading books break through ten thousand volumes, and the next pen is like a god" and Su Shi's "Old books are not tired of reading a hundred times, and they are familiar with deep thinking and self-knowledge".

In short, there is aesthetics, poetry, imagination, and philosophy in reading, which can give us the pleasure of seeking knowledge, aesthetic music, spiritual happiness, and expression, but the joy of reading is far more than that.

Third, build a ladder of progress that "uses reading for purposes"

For people, reading books, in addition to meeting spiritual needs, also paves the way for the realization of the value of life, which has a very important practical significance. Especially in the age of knowledge, reading is the most basic way of survival and development.

Reading is the ladder of self-realization and across classes. Reading helps people accumulate knowledge, gain experience, increase wisdom and talent, and enable people to embark on the ladder of progress and achieve their goals in life. As Gorky said, "Books are the ladder of human progress." Reading is an effective way to break the solidification of class, and China has long selected talents by means of examinations, so that poor children can change their fate by reading. Nowadays, the college entrance examination is still a basic measure for Chinese society to break the solidification of class and realize the flow of talents, and it is the channel and ladder for individuals to move towards success.

Reading is a tool for applying what you have learned and helping the world. Reading books can cultivate disposition, observe the customs and customs of the world, examine the gains and losses of governance, make friends with comrades, work hard, and improve the quality of the group, and can "complain about the government", that is, gentle and generous, not humble and humble to the rulers to advise and put forward constructive suggestions. From the individual to the society to the country, from the world to the social collection to the governance of the country, reading is the only way to achieve life in many aspects. Only by learning professional knowledge through reading can people master skills and settle down. At the same time, the various poetic feelings obtained when reading, or elegant and indifferent, or quiet and lofty, or thriving, or lively and joyful, or fresh and peaceful, or rich and quiet, can allow us to live in the downtown or in the noisy and impetuous "poetic inhabitation".

Reading is the way to enhance temperament and shape the three views. In addition to the specific "application of learning", reading also has "useless use". The most basic purpose and role of ancient reading is to "cultivate oneself" and to infinitely approach the character of "gentleman". Zeng Guofan "only reading can change temperament", Su Shi "rough cloth wrapped career, belly has poetry and bookish self-glory", depicting the temperament changes brought by reading.

Bacon wrote in "On Reading": "Reading history makes people wise, reading poetry makes people smart, mathematics makes people thorough, science makes people profound, ethics makes people solemn, and the study of logic and rhetoric makes people argumentative: everything that is learned becomes character." This character includes the worldview, outlook on life, and values formed from reading. Reading enables us to form noble souls and thoughts.

Read for all:

The inexhaustible driving force for the sustainable development of urban civilization

In 2013, Shenzhen was awarded the title of "Global Model City for Reading for All" by UNESCO, which is the highest honor awarded by the organization to global cities in the field of reading for all, and Shenzhen is the only city in the world to receive this honor so far. Since the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, it has continued to promote reading for all people and created a series of Chinese "firsts" in "reading".

Shenzhen was the first city in China to build a large-scale book city (1996); the first city to promote "reading for all" to carry out the "Reading Month" (2000); the first city to propose a "cultural city" to build a "library city" (2003); the first city to build a "24-hour book bar" (2006); the first city to establish a reading joint organization (2012); the first city to publish the "Urban Reading Index" (2014); the first city to propose the construction of "City Reading Index" One District, One Book City, One Street, One Book Bar" (2015); the first city to "legislate for reading" (2016); the first city to launch the "Reading Bud Project" for early childhood reading (2016), etc. Behind this "only" and a series of "firsts" is determined by a series of understandings of reading by Shenzhen citizens and the government.

First, deeply understand the essence of the city

Shenzhen's starting point is a special economic zone, why does Shenzhen have a deep relationship with reading, so that in a short period of time, it was awarded "Global Reading Model City for All" by UNESCO? This is inseparable from the great era of reform and opening up, and also from the thinking of Shenzhen's builders and leaders on the concept of the city.

Lewis Mumford said: "Cities are containers of culture. "The Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and the Shenzhen Municipal Government have seen the power of culture, deeply realized that the competition between cities has entered the stage of fighting culture from the past to fighting economy and management. Culture has become the key factor and core competitiveness that determines the future development of the city, and has become the characteristics and charm of the city. This is the basic logic of urban development in the world, and it is culture that ultimately plays a key role. It is precisely because of the formation of such an urban cultural concept that Shenzhen has set "cultural development" as the theme of urban development, and is moving towards an era of "winning or losing with culture, comparing civilization with high or low, and determining success or failure with spirit".

Based on this understanding, Shenzhen took the lead in promoting "reading for all" and pioneered the reading culture brand "Shenzhen Reading Month". On November 1, 2000, the first Shenzhen Reading Month was launched, and since then it has begun the long-term exploration and practice of reading promotion for the whole people, and has been successfully held for 22 sessions so far, cultivating the urban fashion of reading to learn with "noble persistence". In 2009 and 2019, two national reading experience exchange meetings led by the Central Propaganda Department were held in Shenzhen, both of which highly affirmed the brand effect and demonstration role of Shenzhen's reading for all in the country. At the launching ceremony of the 20th Shenzhen Reading Month, Mr. Banderin, former Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, sent a congratulatory letter praising Shenzhen: "This city, which has a history of only 40 years, has been carrying out reading activities for all for 20 years, and the results are remarkable and amazing. Wu Shulin, executive director of the Publishers Association of China, commented: "Shenzhen is the earliest representative city with the earliest, best effect and greatest influence in the national reading activities, and the construction of books has always been at the forefront of the country. ”

Up to now, Shenzhen has won the national civilized city for 6 consecutive times, which is inseparable from the city's rich bookish atmosphere.

Second, to cultivate urban culture with reading

Shenzhen's starting point is a special economic zone, and at the same time it is an emerging city, and the builders of the city are mainly immigrants from all over the country. Once Shenzhen, it was criticized by some people as a "cultural desert". The Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and the Shenzhen Municipal Government have been committed to realizing the magnificent butterfly transformation of urban cultural development. In the process of exploration, Shenzhen has clarified the development strategy of "using reading to suppress impetuosity and using reading to drive away vulgarity", which is also the starting point of Shenzhen's promotion of reading activities.

"Culture Shenzhen, start with reading." Since then, reading has become a shining business card of Shenzhen culture, Shenzhen continues to pursue higher cultural quality and style, and constantly creates a new prosperity of innovative, intelligent, inclusive and powerful urban culture. Reading runs through the starting point and development of Shenzhen's cultural construction, and Shenzhen has cast a strong cultural gene through reading.

The Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and the Shenzhen Municipal Government attach great importance to the reading work of the whole people, adhere to the reading of the whole people as the basic project to promote the strategy of "cultural city" and "cultural strong city", and take the lead in the country to promote the reading of the whole people to the decision-making and planning of the municipal party committee and the municipal government, as an important strategic choice of the city. In 2010, the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and the Shenzhen Municipal Government issued the Several Opinions on Deepening Reading Activities for the Whole People and Accelerating the Construction of a Learning City (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions), and then the Shenzhen Reading Month Organizing Committee formulated the Shenzhen Reading Month Development Plan (2011-2020) according to the Opinions, which provided guidance and guarantee for promoting the comprehensive, in-depth and sustainable development of reading for all, especially Shenzhen Reading Month. The operation mechanism of "government advocacy, expert guidance, social participation, enterprise operation, and media support" is known as the "Shenzhen model" of the mainland's reading activities for the whole people, which can scientifically and efficiently link the government and non-governmental forces, and mobilize the enthusiasm and initiative of enterprises, media, social institutions, reading organizations and the general public.

The Shenzhen Special Economic Zone has been established for only 42 years, but it has spent more than half of its time to persistently promote reading for the whole people, and the seeds of reading for the whole people have become the root and gene of the city, highlighting the lofty pursuit and noble quality of the special economic zone in culture. In the process of promoting reading for all, Shenzhen continues to explore and cultivate advanced reading culture concepts, and the annual theme of Shenzhen Reading Month over the years and the reading concept that have been circulated as a result have been widely concerned: "Let the city be respected because of its love of reading", "Realize the cultural rights of citizens", "The city advocates reading, reading changes the city", "Creating a book society and creating a better future", etc., which have long become the spirit and will that guard the city.

Shenzhen's mission is to build a pioneering demonstration zone of socialism with Chinese characteristics. "Pioneering demonstration" is not only reflected in the political, economic, social and other aspects, but also in the spiritual and cultural aspects of building a model of urban civilization. In the process of construction and development, Shenzhen has always adhered to the important spirit of "grasping both material civilization and spiritual civilization" of the Party Central Committee, and has promoted the noble persistence of reading for 22 years, and has carried out more than 9260 public welfare reading cultural activities in the Shenzhen Reading Month.

The long-term promotion and vigorous development of reading for all has made Shenzhen have long since bid farewell to the nickname of "cultural desert", and has been awarded the title of "Global Model City for Reading for All" by UNESCO, which is a great affirmation of Shenzhen's reading to cultivate urban culture.

3. Realize citizens' cultural rights with the people as the center

The Communist Party of China has always adhered to the concept of "people-centered" governance and development, and to achieve "people-centered", it is necessary to fully realize the people's political, economic and cultural rights. Cultural rights include the right to enjoy, the right to participate, the right to create and the right to be protected for the fruits of creation, all of which are related to reading and concerning everyone. It can be said that reading is the most important and basic way to realize the cultural rights of citizens, and it is necessary for cities to take the lead in realizing protection.

"Realizing the cultural rights of citizens" and "making the city respected for its love of reading" was selected by citizens as one of the "Top Ten Concepts" in Shenzhen that year, which also showed the urgent need of citizens for reading rights. The Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and the Shenzhen Municipal Government continue to promote the realization of citizens' cultural rights based on reading.

First, the rights enjoyed by citizens' culture are guaranteed. In the 1980s, Shenzhen "tightened its belts" to build eight major cultural facilities, including the Shenzhen Library. In 2003, Shenzhen took the lead in proposing the construction of a "library city" in the country, and now it has built a "city of a thousand libraries", walking in the forefront of the world. By the end of 2021, Shenzhen has a total of 733 public libraries (rooms), including 3 municipal public libraries, 9 district-level public libraries, 721 grass-roots libraries (rooms) in streets and below, 306 self-help libraries of various types (including 235 self-help libraries in urban blocks and 71 24-hour book pavilions); 6 book city cultural complexes with an area of more than 30,000 square meters and more than 700 physical bookstores of various types have been built, and more than 10,000 public welfare cultural activities are carried out every year relying on book bars in book cities. It greatly satisfies the cultural right of citizens to enjoy reading.

Second, the right of citizens to participate in culture is guaranteed. In 2012, Shenzhen established the shenzhen reading federation, the first reading joint organization in China, and as of 2021, it has cultivated more than 130 domestic high-level non-governmental reading organizations. During the Annual World Book Day, non-governmental reading organizations have launched special reading activities to let the fragrance of books flow in the city and make Shenzhen overflow with the fragrance of books. In 2016, Shenzhen Aiyue Charity Foundation took the lead in launching the "Reading Bud Plan", which distributed free age-appropriate "reading bud packs" to children and families aged 0-6, encouraged and supported parents to actively carry out parent-child reading practice, and was the first early reading project for children jointly promoted by mass organizations and social organizations in China, aiming to better realize the cultural right of citizens to participate in reading.

Third, the right of citizens to cultural creation and the protection of their fruits is guaranteed. In 2015, the State Council issued the Opinions on Several Policies and Measures for Vigorously Promoting Mass Entrepreneurship and Mass Innovation, which aims to make "innovation for everyone" a new wave and a new trend. "Shenzhen culture, represented by creativity", the "Shenzhen "Mass Entrepreneurship, Mass Innovation" research report released for many years shows that Shenzhen is leading the country in terms of the comprehensive index of double creation, focusing on the comprehensive improvement of the double creation environment, the development and allocation of double creation resources, and the balance between double creation value and social cost. The strength of Shenzhen's "double creation" is inseparable from the self-consciousness of the Shenzhen government, the activity of private enterprises, and the advantages of high technology, and to a large extent, it is also attributed to the values and lifestyles of Shenzhen citizens who are "proud of reading, enjoying reading, and using reading". Shenzhen also took the lead in legislating for reading, clarifying and standardizing the role and behavior of the government in the promotion of reading for the whole people, and providing guarantees and conditions for the realization of citizens' reading rights. Since 2016, Shenzhen has promulgated the Regulations on the Promotion of Reading for all in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Regulations on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, which elevate the "reading rights of citizens" to the legal level and protect the rights of citizens.

With the "World Book Day" and Shenzhen Reading Month as the platform as the platform opportunity, the national reading activities are becoming more and more exciting, which can sustainably meet the growing cultural needs of public readers, and make reading a habit that runs through the daily life of Shenzhen people, thus developing a unique reading culture and book atmosphere in this emerging city.

Reading drives urban innovation and sustainable development

Innovation is the core competitiveness of the city and the key to the sustainable development of the city. Globally, the reading index is directly proportional to the innovation index, and competitive cities tend to be cities that love to read. Reading can cultivate the scientific spirit, rational spirit and humanistic spirit that are closely related to innovation, and can further temper people's innovative spirit and diligent learning spirit. Reading promotes urban development and is a key source of innovation and competitiveness for cities and even countries.

Shenzhen's long-term efforts in the field of reading promotion have achieved remarkable results and are highlighted in the continuous development of Shenzhen as an "innovative city". Shenzhen has long been higher than the national average in terms of residents' reading rate, reading volume, reading time, digital reading and other indicators. In 2019, the "16th National Reading Survey" measured the reading index of 50 cities across the country, and the results showed that Shenzhen's urban reading index value ranked first in the country. According to the latest calculation results, in 2021, Shenzhen residents read 9.15 paper books per year, nearly double the national level (4.7 books); Shenzhen residents read 11.7 e-books per capita, which is 3.56 times the national level (3.29 books).

Through the promotion of reading for the whole people, the cultural level and innovation ability of Shenzhen citizens have been comprehensively improved, and the effectiveness of urban reading and learning has directly affected urban construction, which is fully reflected in the rapid development of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone for more than 40 years. Only from the perspective of innovation ability, in 2021, mainland PCT international patent applications ranked first in the world for the third time, a total of 13 Chinese companies entered the top 50 applicants, including 7 Shenzhen companies, and Shenzhen's Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. topped the list with 6952 pieces, which is the fifth consecutive year that Huawei has dominated the list. According to the "National Innovative City Innovation Capacity Evaluation Report 2021" released by the China Institute of Science and Technology Information of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shenzhen's innovation ability index ranks first among 72 innovative cities, of which Shenzhen's innovation governance, achievement transformation, technological innovation and innovation driving force rank first in the country.

Read for all:

The basic project for realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation

Reading for all is not only an optional cultural event or cultural phenomenon, it is related to whether the goal of national rejuvenation can be achieved. World experience shows that the reading rate of the people has a huge impact on the rise and fall of the country and the nation. Promoting reading for the whole people and improving the quality of the whole people is an important move to achieve national prosperity and strength, and it is also a basic project for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

First, the reading tradition is the gene of Chinese civilization

The Chinese nation is one of the people in the world who love to read, and there are three main reasons: philosophers advocate, technical support, and the imperial examination system.

Philosophers advocated the formation of a reading tradition. The Analects begin: "Don't you say what you learn and learn from time to time?" Have friends from afar, are you happy? People don't know and don't care, aren't they gentlemen? The first sentence is to persuade learning, and the Analects mentions the content of "learning" nearly 50 times, which shows how important the importance of learning is, which is also the fundamental purpose of Confucius's lectures, and puts the "joy of learning" before "the joy of making friends and the joy of a gentleman", and puts it in the first place.

All the sages and sages of China have advocated reading. Xun Zi "I have tasted all day and thought, it is better to learn what I have learned", Zhu Xi "has nothing to learn, no time to learn, no place to not learn, the road to success is also". The wise words of these philosophers and sages have condensed into a national consensus and formed the learning tradition of the Chinese nation.

Technical support to promote the reading tradition. The two major inventions of papermaking and printing in the mainland have greatly improved the printing efficiency of books, popularized books to the people, improved the reading and writing ability of the people, enabled more people to read, and promoted the tradition of reading. At that time, China's knowledge popularization was unique in the world, and it also made the Chinese nation the nation with the largest number of readers in the world.

The imperial examination system consolidates the reading tradition. The imperial examination system is the fairest and most effective way to select talents, break the solidification of classes, and promote the flow of talents in ancient China. The imperial examination system has stimulated the people's enthusiasm for reading, and has also promoted the emergence of more government-run colleges and private schools in society. The Song Dynasty Emperor Zhao Heng's "Persuasion Poems" "Rich families do not need to buy good land, the book has its own thousand bells and millets; there is no need to build a high hall in an easy home, the book has its own golden house; when going out, there is no one to follow, the car and horse in the book are like clusters; marrying a wife does not hate no good medium, and the book has its own Yan Ruyu; if the boy is born in peace, the six classics read to the window diligently" tell the practical impact of the imperial examination system. Reading, examination, and the first were effective ways for ancient readers to realize their ambitions in life, which gave rise to the related reading cultural traditions.

Reading has promoted the Chinese civilization to shine a unique brilliance and emit an unusual light in the splendid galaxy of human civilization. Because of this, Chinese culture has been infused with a powerful reading gene from the beginning.

Unfortunately, today our reading traditions are weakening or even disappearing. According to the results of the "18th National Reading Survey" released by the China Press and Publication Research Institute in 2021, the per capita reading volume of paper books in the mainland is 4.7, and the per capita reading volume of e-books is 3.29. According to incomplete statistics, the per capita reading volume of countries in the world includes 64 books in Israel, 55 books in Russia, 50 books in the United States, 47 books in Germany, and 45 books in Japan. This is a huge contrast with the reading status of our Chinese nation in history, which is shameful.

Second, reading is the basic way of inheriting Chinese civilization

A strong country begins with the people, the people begin with education, and education begins with reading. Only a nation that is good at learning can strengthen itself in the world.

Reading is the foundation of the inheritance of civilization. The three elements of civilization: one is to have smelting, the other is to have a settlement city-state, and the third is to have writing, and writing is the core. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is, first of all, to inherit our civilization. If there were only words, but no one to read, civilization would be eclipsed.

Reading is the basic path for the improvement of national quality. Reading for all is the most important way of passing on civilization and culture. To promote reading for all, we must carry forward the tradition of the Chinese nation's eagerness to learn and learn, and draw on the strengths of all people and extensively study the excellent cultures of all ethnic groups in various countries, including reading and learning experience. The Japanese writer Takashi Saito pointed out in "The Power of Reading" that reading is not only an interest, a hobby, a method, but also an ability. The ability to read can be transformed into the ability to change thinking, improve communication, and "evolve" personally. Through reading, we can inherit civilization and learn from the past; through reading, we can think about problems and solve problems; through reading, we can enhance creativity and cultural taste, and these need to be promoted from the height of the national strategy to the whole country to be the most efficient. The German government has introduced policies to provide bonuses to lifelong learners to encourage reading. The Singapore Government has launched a nationwide lifelong learning campaign with lifelong learning scholarships. Only by studying books as the foundation and in the basic way, and by tirelessly learning from China's excellent traditional culture and all nationalities in the world, can the Chinese nation continue to prosper and develop and realize the great cause of rejuvenation.

Reading is a sign of the spiritual prosperity of the people. The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is marked by the improvement of everyone's quality and the improvement of happiness and sense of gain. We propose to "be proud of reading", "enjoy reading" and "reading for use", which are all important parts of happiness.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must advocate more reading, build a bookish society, continuously enhance the people's ideological realm, and enhance the people's spiritual strength, and the spiritual world of the Chinese nation can be thicker and deeper." At the same time, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed in his reply to the old experts of the National Library: "I hope that guotu will adhere to the correct political direction, carry forward excellent traditional culture, innovate service methods, promote reading for the whole people, better meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the people, and make new contributions to building a socialist cultural power." This year, Premier Li Keqiang proposed in the government work report to "further promote reading for the whole people", which is the ninth consecutive time that "reading for all" has been written into the government work report. From "advocating" to "deepening", the change in the formulation marks a new stage in China's reading cause for the whole people. The reason why the state attaches importance to reading is precisely because reading is the basic project of civilization inheritance and national rejuvenation.

Our country attaches great importance to the inheritance of reading for culture and civilization, only in this way can we improve the quality of the people and ultimately realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and only in this way can our nation stand tall among the nations of the world for a long time.

Third, reading is the engine of national innovation and development

Innovation is the greatest driving force for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and reading is precisely the engine of innovation. Only through reading books can we find problems and raise problems, can we find ways to solve problems, and finally, can we create and produce innovative results through reading. Reading is the basic carrier to promote innovation in the entire innovation chain, so reading is the mother of innovation.

In a nutshell, reading provides values for innovation, and specifically, reading provides multifaceted support for innovation.

Reading is a "hotbed" of innovation. Any innovation is not a figment of imagination, it must spark the imagination by encountering problems in reality and then training your thinking in books. This is the "hotbed" for incubating innovation, because only by inheriting the past can we open up and produce innovation. The most original innovation comes from "thought" innovation, which is thought leadership, and the source of thought leadership is "reading". The Renaissance and Enlightenment in Europe, before the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, were all processes of ideological mobilization, which began with culture and integrated with the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and Romanticism, which promoted the progress of Western society as a whole, especially the progress of science and technology. The Renaissance and the Enlightenment created the core values of that era, ushering in an era of innovation. This era of innovation is achieved through the development of the European printing industry, the improvement of people's reading and learning ability, the development of education, and the rapid dissemination and popularization of knowledge to the public as the basis, all of which are related to reading.

Reading provides a knowledge base, mindset and path for innovation. Reading throughout the innovation process. In a sense, the process of reading is the process of people's inspiration, but also the process of whimsy, but also the process of people looking for answers in innovation, so reading is an important foundation for innovation. Reading can cultivate the scientific spirit, rational spirit and humanistic spirit that are closely related to innovation; it can further temper people's innovative spirit and diligent learning spirit. Whether it's creating a new city or a country to innovate, without reading as a foundation, everything is empty talk. Traditional Chinese culture has never lacked innovative psychological stereotypes and traditions, from traditional Confucianism to two Han classics, to Song Ming Theory, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, the integration of chinese culture, diversity and integration, excellent value integration ability, and everywhere embodies the "restoration" consciousness of Chinese civilization. For example, the ideas of "poverty and flexibility for a long time" and "unremitting self-improvement" contained in Zhou Yi; Zhou Yi's spirit of reform and innovation directly gave birth to the thinkers of the pre-Qin Dynasty, giving birth to the situation of "the sons swarming up and a hundred schools of thought contending" in the Warring States period, and moreover, the rise of the sons themselves is a concentrated embodiment of personality and theoretical innovation.

Reading provides a full chain service for innovation. The process of reading itself is a process of knowledge accumulation and a process of innovation. The transformation and continuous sustainability of innovation needs to be driven by reading. The innovative achievements produced today are also the basis for the reading and innovation of future generations, that is, reading produces innovation, and the results of innovation are re-read, promoting re-innovation, forming a spiral path of "reading-innovating-re-reading-re-innovating", forming an endless chain of innovation. Without continuous innovation, there is no sustainable development, and all this is inseparable from reading to inject living water into it.

The atmosphere and atmosphere of reading for all creates a good environment for innovation. The reading environment of the whole nation is the embodiment of the thinking ability and value curve of the whole nation, when the whole society has such a reading environment, the results of innovation will be easier to produce, which is the power of the cultural soft environment. This environment includes a business environment, an environment governed by the rule of law, and a cultural atmosphere created through reading. Today, at the critical point where China is moving toward rejuvenation, advocating reading has become more urgent and important. In the future, we must always persevere, and we must work together to continuously promote and carry out reading for all.

In today's world, many developed countries in Europe and the United States have introduced laws and plans to promote reading, which has promoted the attention of all sectors of society to reading education and ensured the realization of reading for all. For example, the United States introduced the Excellent Reading Act (REA) in 1998 and the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 to protect young people from reading. Russia, Japan, Spain and other countries have also integrated the guarantee of reading into the legal and policy system: Russia promulgated the "Outline of State Support and Development of Reading" in 2006 and the "National Reading Outline" in 2012; Japan issued the "Law on Promoting Children's Reading Activities" in 2001, the "Law on the Promotion of Literacy and Printing Culture" in 2005; and Spain introduced the "Reading, Books and Library Law" in 2007 to promote reading for all in the form of laws and national policies.

It is recommended that the state develop a national reading plan at the national level. As Wu Shulin said: "All countries in the world, all those who are good at reading, those who can read, and those who attach importance to reading, are all countries with developed economy, science, technology and culture. "For a nation, reading is a long-term cultural work, by no means a temporary boom, to read as a country's basic project, not a cultural activity, to learn from the reading plans of advanced countries, to formulate a national reading plan, long-term and in-depth promotion and realization of reading for all."

It is recommended that the state read legislation. Reading is the most basic and important component of citizens' basic cultural rights, through the form of legislation, in the form of legislation, in the form of a strong atmosphere to promote reading for all, improve the awareness of the masses and relevant units on the importance of reading, protect citizens' cultural rights, promote the government to provide good reading space, reading environment and services, and ensure that the reading of the whole people is stable and far-reaching.

For the great cause of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must vigorously promote reading for all.

April 26, 2022 China Culture Daily

The 3rd edition featured a special report

Reading for All: The Basic Project of the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation

Editor-in-charge: Zhang Haining