Readers on rise, mostly in digital

Chinese adults read an average of just under eight books in 2016 - a tiny increase of 0.02 percent over 2015 - while a rapid increase of 6.1 percent was seen in the number of people reading digital content.

"We've seen fast growth in digital reading for eight consecutive years," said Wei Yushan, head of the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, who announced the academy's major findings from the 14th survey of Chinese reading habits on Tuesday, ahead of World Book Day, which falls on Sunday.

Of the nearly eight books read by an average adult in 2016, about five were in print form and three were digital. Wei said similar surveys of readers from European countries and the United States show that they read 10 titles a year, while Japanese read 12.