On February 1st, the "Regulations on Promoting National Reading" came into effect. Reading books and newspapers is often based on personal interests, why does the country still need to enact a law? ——The first administrative regulation in China targeting nationwide reading, the "Regulations on Promoting National Reading" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"), will come into effect on February 1st. On that day, in Linyi, Shandong, nearly 3000 teachers and students recited classics in unison, welcoming the implementation of the Regulations with the sound of books; In Ningbo, Zhejiang, classic themed exhibitions and seminars were held simultaneously... Various colorful activities were held in multiple places, and the general public shared the fragrance of books. In many people's minds, reading is a private matter. In fact, legislating for reading does not necessarily require everyone to read what or how much, its core lies in "promoting" and "protecting". Cultural prosperity, national strength, and national rejuvenation all rely on the cultural accumulation and spiritual power brought by reading. At present, we are comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the rejuvenation of the nation with Chinese path to modernization, and we need to play a fundamental role in reading. In this context, the Regulations can be said to have emerged. Looking back, its birth was not achieved overnight. As early as 2013, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference suggested legislating for nationwide reading at the national level. In recent years, "National Reading" has been included in the "Government Work Report" for 12 consecutive years, and "Building a Bookish Society" has been included in the "15th Five Year Plan" proposal, which shows the importance attached by the Party and the government. After years of exploration and practice, this expectation has finally come true, building a legal barrier for the sustained and in-depth promotion of reading for all. China is not the first to read legislation. Looking at the world, some countries have elevated national reading to the level of public policy through national legislation or strategic planning at the end of the last century or the beginning of this century. And China's legislative process is deeply rooted in its own cultural soil based on drawing on international experience. The Chinese nation is a nation that values the fragrance of books, and the ancient sayings of "cultivating and reading to pass down the family" and "poetry and books to inherit the world" have been passed down to this day. This unique cultural gene is also projected between the lines of this legislation. For example, the Regulation emphasizes the role of "teaching by example" and transforms the excellent traditional Chinese culture that has lasted for thousands of years into institutional care. The National Reading Conference has been held for four consecutive sessions, and various regions have regularly carried out activities such as reading seasons and book clubs. Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places have also tried to formulate regulations for reading, accumulating valuable experience. The Regulations consolidate the consensus formed by the whole society, along with practical and effective experience, into more universal and lasting rules that can guide the resolution of some problems in current reading. There are more or less situations around us where the reading rate of rural residents is not high and their reading range is relatively narrow; The Braille reading materials that visually impaired individuals can find are still limited, making it difficult for elderly people to read paper books; The content on digital reading platforms is vast, but selecting deep and valuable reading materials can sometimes be like searching for gold in the sand... These real-life problems cannot be solved solely by personal enthusiasm and persistence. Legislation provides a institutional support for the reading ecology of the entire society: it clarifies the legal responsibilities of governments at all levels in promoting reading for all, providing a solid legal basis for reading in terms of organizational leadership, financial support, and reading facility construction; It conforms to the trend of technological development, supports the combination of digital reading and traditional reading, and promotes the supply of high-quality digital reading content; It pays special attention to the reading protection of minors, people with disabilities, the elderly, etc., and stipulates measures such as providing suitable reading materials, offering reading courses, supporting the construction of accessible reading facilities for all, optimizing elderly friendly service standards, etc. The ultimate goal of these provisions is to promote everyone to read more books and good books, so that everyone who wants to read can fairly enjoy the happiness of resonating with wisdom. Some people may ask, is it worth investing so much effort in promoting reading? The answer is affirmative. For the development of a country, the depth of thinking, innovation ability, and cultural literacy of its citizens, these seemingly "soft" parts, are important factors that determine how far it can go in the future. Ultimately, legislating for reading is more like a strategic investment to 'store water' for the future. It can be imagined that with the solid implementation of the Regulations, complete reading facilities will be spread throughout urban and rural areas, and diverse reading activities will run through daily life. When love for reading, reading good books, and being good at reading truly integrate into the fabric of society and become a conscious and fashionable trend for generations, the "bookish society" will surely become an important cultural symbol of China in the new era. (New Society)