Shanghai will upgrade reading environments and make reading a regular practice in schools citywide by 2027, announced the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education on April 15, ahead of the World Book Day. 

The initiative seeks to create campuses with a strong reading culture, dedicated spaces, and regular activities to nurture reading habits and character.

"If teachers and parents do not read, children will not learn," said Yang Zhenfeng, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, at a news briefing on the launch of China's first National Reading Week.

The commission's textbooks and language management division, as the leading department for adolescent reading, has partnered with over 20 departments to develop a comprehensive reading education framework for teachers and students.

A "home, school and community" reading network has been formed to engage students via clubs and digital reading.

Shanghai has designed age-specific reading plans. For preschoolers, the priority is to nurture interest and reject exam-oriented reading.

"Cultivating children's reading interest and habits is the core of reading education in Shanghai's preschools," Xu Jiajie, deputy director of the preschool education department, said.

Over 1,600 primary and secondary schools have renovated reading spaces. Universities, libraries and physical bookstores are encouraged to carry out in-depth reading activities.