Wang Yuanyuan

    A NATIONAL digital publication base is under construction in Shenzhen to promote China’s development of digital publication and electronic reading.

    The base is expected to become a global digital publication center for Chinese, introducing overseas Chinese digital publication to the country and exporting domestic publications to the world, said Li Fulin, manager of the digital publication center of Shenzhen Publication & Distribution Group and general manager of the Book City Digital Publication House.

    “Shenzhen is the window of the country’s reform and opening up, so it plays an important role in connecting China with the outside world,” Li said.

    Meanwhile, Shenzhen is the country’s leading center for the publication industry. The production volume of the city’s printing industry reaches about 60 billion yuan (US$9.5 billion) a year. Many overseas magazines choose to produce and print in Shenzhen because of its high technology and complete industrial chain.

    “Digital publication will be the next focus for the industry as many traditional printing and publication companies are now seeking opportunities to transform,” he said.

    At present, the city is promoting a “digital schoolbag program,” aiming to use tablet computers to replace paper textbooks and education materials for primary and middle school students.

    The program will also introduce advanced technology and data service into the computer. “Teachers can create ‘laboratories’ to help students learn through the computer, and cloud computing can help students gather information and data much faster and more accurately than before,” Li said.

    According to the plan, the first batch of 30 classes across the city will start to use the new teaching methods in September.

    Li is very confident about the city’s development of electronic reading.

    “Shenzhen is a leading city in online and e-business industries and there are a lot of young people who are very open to new things and technologies, so there is a big market for the future development of electronic reading,” Li said.

    According to statistics, Shenzhen is the largest market in the country for China Mobile’s mobile reading business.

    “This can also prove how much Shenzhen people like to read through mobiles or electronic reading machines,” he said.