Exploring reading culture and promotion in China: A spatio-temporal analysis of digital footprints

Nationwide reading has been promoted in China for a long time and is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. However, a significant gap persists between the initiatives for reading promotion and the actual demands of readers. This study conducts a comprehensive investigation of the current reading culture in China and explores differentiated approaches to reading promotion. Initially, a multi-source master booklist comprising 435 titles is compiled from mainstream platforms related to reading, including Douban Reading, Dangdang, and Ximalaya. Following the master booklist, 395,132 digital footprints of readers across 34 province-level and 354 prefecture-level regions in China are collected, spanning 2005 to 2023. Subsequently, based on these digital footprints, a comprehensive spatio-temporal analysis is performed, which captures the distribution of reading conversions and genres, as well as the regularities of reading habits. Ultimately, understanding the spatio-temporal patterns of readers can significantly enhance reading promotion practices in China.