This is an undated photo of Zhu Yongxin, deputy secretary-general of the CPPCC Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy. [Photo/cyol.net]

CPPCC members are continuing their efforts to turn more Chinese into bookworms.

This is the 18th year that Zhu Yongxin has proposed a National Book Day be established.

"Reading holds the key to improving the competence of the Chinese population, narrowing the education gap, and promoting education equality,"said Zhu, deputy secretary-general of the CPPCC Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy.

The CPPCC member's proposal is not unfounded.

Chinese adults read an average of 4.65 print books in 2019, lower than 4.67 in 2018; the number of e-books read by Chinese in 2019 also dwindled to 2.84 from 3.32 in 2018, a newly-released survey by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication revealed.

Noting many countries, such as France, Japan and the US, mark their own national reading festivals alongside World Book Day, Zhu suggested Sept 28, the birthday of Confucius, should be established as China's own book day.

Confucius, whose philosophy has permeated and nourished Chinese civilization, was the first in Chinese history to promote learning and reading.

World Book Day, annually marked on April 23, is the day on which western literary giants Shakespeare was born and Cervantes died, which is not directly related to Chinese culture, Zhu explained.

Zhu's proposed creating a national fund and a steering committee for promoting nationwide reading, defining the standards of public libraries on various levels, and issuing book coupons to disadvantaged households and groups.

CPPCC member Zhang Yudong echoed Zhu's proposal, calling to establish China's own reading festival and adopt nationwide reading as a national strategy.

"Relevant legislation should be introduced as soon as possible to ensure the strategy can be properly enforced," Zhang added.

CPPCC member Feng Yuan, another exponent of the initiative of nationwide reading, suggested examples be set for more Chinese to follow and then help them get into the habit of reading.

"I suggest government departments join hands to gradually list a person's reading volume as one of the key performance indicators when evaluating people like civil servants, military officers and employees of state-owned enterprises," said Feng, vice-president of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.