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Amazon China's 2017 Reading Report Shows New Trends Among Chinese Readers

| May 01, 2017 08:14 AM EDT

More young Chinese readers are now reading e-books.

According to the 2017 Reading Report released by Amazon China, one of the country's biggest online booksellers, more Chinese readers are now sharing their experiences on various social media platforms.

Popular messaging app WeChat, review website Douban, micro-blogging portal Sina Weibo and question-and-answer website Zhihu are some of the platforms where 78 percent of Chinese readers voice out their reading experiences,  China Daily wrote citing the Amazon China report.

The report published on April 20 also stated that Chinese readers still show continued interest in reading, with around 56 percent of those surveyed revealing that they have read over 10 books in 2016. This trend has been the same for the past few years.

The article noted that "reading books on electronic devices is a major factor that fuels the behavior of sharing."

Currently, around 71 percent of Chinese born in the 2000s read books on the Amazon-produced e-reading device, Kindle. On the other hand, only 25 percent among those born in the 1950s do the same.

The reading report also showed that Chinese readers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen lead the trend of reading in the English language format.

As of last year, English e-books sales have already increased by a whopping 68 percent. J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series topped the list of the most popular titles among English e-books sold via Amazon China.

In another trend, TV and film adaptations have also fueled Chinese readers to check out the original books. Some of the literary pieces that became bestsellers because of these adaptations include "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms," "Three Lives Three Worlds" and "In the Name of People."

Television shows have also contributed to the booming Amazon e-book platform. The program Chinese Poetry Competition has reportedly boosted the sales of ancient poem anthologies on the said website by 154 percent.

Amazon China has been releasing its annual reading report since 2014. It comes ahead of the World Book Day, which is celebrated every 23rd of April.

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