By Edward Nawotka

The Global Times of China reports on the results of the 7th National Reading Survey in China which indicated that 25% of those surveyed — some 19,000 people — have read a digital book. The survey conducted by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), the department of the Chinese government that oversees books and publishing, and is said to have covered 29 provinces, along with autonomous regions and municipalities.

Guo Jingming, the only writer born in the 1980s to make the Top Ten list of most widely read authors in China, says GAPP

Among the other statistics of interest to publishers were:

• 91% said they would not buy a hardcover or paperback book after reading it online
• The average Chinese person reads 6.97 paperback books each year, 1.23 fewer books than last year
• A Chinese person reads about 73 newspaper editions a year on average, 15.6 fewer than last year
• Respondents with online reading experience said they would not be willing to pay more than 3.45 yuan ($0.50) for each online article

Despite the popularity of digital reading, the report also says that reading tastes have shifted from modern to classical Chinese writers, with Han Han falling off the list of the top ten and only Guo Jingming, ranked seventh, the only contemporary writer of online novels to make the list (you can read our previous article on Han Han’s publisher, Lu Jinbo). The top three favorite writers among Chinese readers remain Jin Yong (Louis Cha) (whom we profiled in February), Lu Xun and Qiong Yao remain the top three favorite writers among Chinese readers.

(Thanks to Resource Shelf for the original story link)