Better reading services await elderly

China will ramp up efforts to enrich reading experiences for seniors by creating accessible reading environments and providing them with scientific guidance and products, with the aim of securing their right to read and attaining spiritual fulfillment in their twilight years.

A senior reader browses books at Book Mall. Photograph provided by ChinaDaily

Fourteen central departments, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Education and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, have recently released a guideline urging local authorities to offer more accessible and higher-quality reading services to the elderly.

The guideline clarifies that it's of great importance to offer seniors more convenient ways to read, which can boost their self-improvement and facilitate better engagement in family and social activities. The nation will integrate its resources to make sure older adults in rural and urban areas can access reading materials.

The guideline states that the nation aims to offer improved reading materials to the elderly by 2027 and produce a large number of talent who can help the elderly read and organize related activities.

It is expected that the number of elderly readers will increase significantly by 2027, and their needs will be better met.

Under the guideline, some State-level reading promotion campaigns targeting seniors will be launched and carried out via smart tools such as digital and information technologies, which will allow them to experience audiovisual reading.

Local authorities are encouraged to organize reading activities, including recitation, book-sharing parties and sitcom performances, to make the experiences more interesting and attractive for the elderly.

Figures from the civil affairs ministry showed that the number of people in China age 60 and above was almost 297 million by the end of last year, accounting for more than 21 percent of the nation's total population.

Among these people, about 37 million have completed senior high school and are literate, but their reading demands are not fully met due to a lack of accessible reading materials and related services.

The guideline encourages publishing houses and printing presses to publish books, magazines or newspapers appealing to seniors and make the copyrighted materials more accessible to them by adding audio services and printing with larger characters.

Also, local public services departments are required to optimize the reading environment for older adults by installing barrier-free facilities or offering voluntary services such as delivering books to their homes.

Local authorities can use some AI tools to offer scientific, systematic and personalized reading guidance to the elderly based on their ages, education backgrounds and health conditions, and publish regular reports listing their favorite books.

Some provinces and cities have taken steps to better meet the older residents' reading demands. The city-level Wenzhou Library in Zhejiang province offers regular book interpretation services to the elderly, with volunteers speaking in the local dialect to help them better understand some classic Chinese novels.

Jiang Xianjing, who works at the Wenzhou Library, told China Central Television that the library workers will help local residents age 70 and above select the books they want and have them mailed to their homes. All they have to do is call the library. (Cheng Si)