The changing reading habits On a flight from Frankfurt to Shanghai, an Indian engineer noticed row after row of Chinese passengers engrossed in their iPads, playing games or watching movies. None was doing any reading. Another posting a few years ago by a Chinese passenger showed the difference between the first class and regular class: Those sitting in the first class tend to read while those in the regular class play games. For me, the biggest shock came when Han Han, the young writer with enormous influence on China’s youth, was asked by a reporter about his reading habit and he answered that he read only magazines. The accompanying photo revealed very few books on his bookshelf. Before we get to “Why do the Chinese not read?” I’ll reveal the spoiler, which is the most frequent defense. “We read. We just do not read in the same way as the old generations do. We rely on modern gadgets for faster access.” It is true that we cannot claim that only the contents printed on a page is knowledge. Anything that’s printed can be displayed digitally. There are millions of books available in the digital form. And true electronic books can incorporate sound and video, thus enhancing the reading experience. The book is going the way of the dinosaur, many forecast. Even if they don’t vanish completely, they will become niche items. I believe reference books are most easily replaced by their digital versions while essay collections of Chinese literature are the most unlikely to make the transition. One reads classics of literature not to pass examinations, but to absorb nutrients from the wealth shared by humanity and to make him a better person. Francis Bacon once said, studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. The “delight” should include the joy of elevating oneself to a level with a new vista.