介绍:
A new free popular reading service is Beijing being introduced to its subway passengers. Available to all smartphone users, the service looks to use modern techniques to promote reading.
We go to Sam Duckett for the details.
Report: Beijing launched its first underground library service on the January 12th 2015. Beijing MTR and the National Library launched the program. The service is currently available on line 4, which runs from northeast to south Beijing, and stretches for 35 stops. Line 4 also has a transit at Xidan station, one of the busiest metro stations in central Beijing.
The project is titled "M Subway•Library", which is a public welfare program that looks to promote various reading materials via public transportation. It is the first scheme of its kind to be initiated in Beijing.
Li Honglin is the National Library standing committee&`&s deputy director.
"Because mobile phones are now a really popular platform we want to make it much more attractive, more appealing and simpler. This will be effective for promoting national reading."
The first phase organizes the cultural activity with the theme "Our Characters" and offers 10 free e-books for passengers to read online. Passengers can access the full-text books by scanning the two-dimensional codes in the compartment and completing the registration.
Yang Lin is the Beijing MTR Corporation Limited spokeswoman.
"We keep updating on the metro, our plan is to update our topics every two to three months. If the customers are able to follow our project it means they will read tons of books every year."
China is not the first country to initiate such a service. In 2013 The Miami Advertisement School in collaboration with the New York Public Library launched a similar service called "underground library" in New York City.
Intrigued by the experience, I hopped on board line 4 to try it for myself. However when I got on line 4 I could not find QR code despite checking through a dozen different subway carriages. I decided to ask the conductor about the new service.
Sadly, the conductor was not aware of the service nor was his seniors that he phoned in after my enquiry. He was however nice enough to take my contact information and offered to further look into the matter after he got off his shift.
"I have never heard of it, I will ask management, give me your WeChat and if I find it I will send you a link."
After some further research I was able to start using the service. It seemed reasonably user-friendly, although the service was not in English. I was happy with the process now that it can be regularly found on line 4 and other lines in Beijing. There is a strong chance this may just be the next big fad in China.
For Studio+, I&`&m Sam Duckett.
